Copycat Caffrey Redux
by IcyJadeXOXO
Summary: For who is Nicholas if not his father's son? A glimpse twenty years into the future.  strictly AU/mostly OOC
1. Chapter 1

**Title** : _**Copycat Caffrey Redux**_

**Author's Notes** : Friend of mine issued an AU future fic challenge. I had to comply. Not a lot of Alex Hunter in this story, but there is a little bit of everything to amuse/annoy readers. (**FYI **: For those who are not familiar with my previous stories, Neal and Alex have a son named Nicholas. This story is related to, but not necessarily a continuation of my previous fics.) Set twenty years into the future [yes, keep reading]...hence, the older versions of characters. New characters are introduced as well. Also, did I mention that this is partly a romance story between a Burke and a Caffrey? Happy reading!

**Disclaimer** : I don't own any of the _**recognizable characters**_. That honor belongs to _**Jeff Eastin**_, _**White Collar writers **_and **USA Network**.

**Summary** : For who is Nicholas if not his father's son? A glimpse twenty years into the future. (strictly AU/mostly OOC)

**WARNING** : Some language and adult content in the succeeding chapters. May not be suitable for young/sensitive readers.

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE**

_Lower Manhattan, New York City, Summer of 2032_...

**Neal Caffrey** stood in the balcony of his Tribeca apartment, the same place he had been living in since June died over a decade ago. He sipped his Italian roast coffee as he reminisced about the past. A lot of things have happened since he first set foot in New York City thirty years ago. He had taught and learned, loved and lost, fought and won. He made a lot of enemies, but found a few loyal friends along the way.

Neal remembered his past cons with Mozzie and his heists with Alex. "_The good old days!"_ he thought. Mozzie got his happy ending and was now living in California with his wife and kids. As for Alex, Neal hadn't heard much from her since she got married and moved to Europe. Neal frowned at the thought. He did very few things in his life that he regretted, and hurting Alex was on top of that list. He sighed. If he had a chance to change something from his past, he would definitely set things right between him and her.

Speaking of regrets, Neal also looked back on his failed marriage to Sara. It wasn't the relationship he had hoped it would be. Their marriage only lasted less than 18 months. They both tried hard to make it work. Neal tried to be the man Sara wanted him to be, but that ended up putting cracks on their relationship. It didn't help their situation when they later found out that Sara couldn't have any children. In the end, they drifted apart and eventually divorced. Last news he had heard was that Sara was now happily married to a junior senator in Connecticut. Neal couldn't be happier for her. She deserved a happy ending.

It seemed that everyone else had a happy ending except for him. But then again, not everyone have the same definition of happiness. Sure, he ended up alone, but he was never lonely. He remained close friends with the Burkes. After he finished serving the remainder of his sentence, he decided to stay on as an FBI consultant, sans the tracking anklet. He lived his life vicariously through Peter. He served not only as his partner and best friend, but also as godfather/cool uncle to his lovely daughter, Catherine. Neal enjoyed being a part of Peter's family. That was something he never regretted. It made him feel like his life wasn't such a waste after all.

Neal finished his coffee and went back inside. He looked at himself in the mirror. He had aged gracefully. He still had the chiseled features that made a lot of women swoon. His eyes were still the beautiful shade of blue, with a few wrinkles around it which came with age. He combed his hair, still full although slightly grayish. He fixed his tie, put on his coat and his hat and got ready to go to work.

* * *

FBI Headquarters, New York City Field Office...

Special Agent **Peter Burke** sat inside the conference room as he reviewed the files in front of him. This had been one of the biggest case he had handled since he became the head agent in charge of the FBI's **White Collar** Crime Unit in Manhattan after Special Agent Reese Hughes had finally retired ten years ago. It was an ongoing case the FBI had been working on alongside with Interpol regarding a mysterious, unidentified master criminal whom Peter nicknamed as "**The Baron**". The FBI had only been after the criminal for three years, Interpol had been after him for the past seven years. Something about the criminal and the crimes he had committed bothered Peter. He hadn't been this fixated to catch someone since he had handled the "**James Bonds**" case back during his early days at the White Collar Unit.

As if on cue, his partner and best friend, White Collar Crime Unit's lead consultant **Neal Caffrey** walks in.

"_You're late, Caffrey! Senior staff meeting was over __half an hour ago!"_ Peter said with feigned irritation.

"_Geez, Peter! Why do you always have to be so grumpy whenever Elizabeth and Catherine are away?"_ Neal said jokingly.

Elizabeth Burke had taken Catherine, their shy, sweet and kind-hearted daughter to Paris, France to register her for classes at Paris-Sorbonne University. Catherine, now 21 years old, starts her post graduate studies in a couple of months, to earn her Master's Degree in Intercultural Diversity Studies and Organizational Communication. Elizabeth was also there to help look for an apartment for their daughter to live in while in Paris. This had been a sore subject for Peter, since he doesn't really want his "baby girl" to live abroad.

"_Stop changing the topic and sit down!"_ Peter said as motioned Neal to his usual seat. _"You've missed a lot on today's meeting."_ he barked.

"_If those are 'The Baron' files, then I haven't really missed anything at all."_ Neal answered. _"Peter, we've gone through all of his files dozens of times and it had gotten us nowhere!"_ he said, exasperated.

"_We are missing something, Neal! Something huge. Somehow, this guy has dedicated the past seven years of his life to recreating your past works and taking it to the next level."_ Peter said, while still looking at the files.

"_So, you still believe in your theory that for some odd reason, this kid had zeroed in on copycatting me?"_ Neal asked, although he already knew the answer.

"_Don't you? Alright, let's review this guy's file again and see the similarities, shall we?"_ Peter said as he spread the files on the table.

"_Case number one : You forged bonds from __**Atlantic Partners.**__ He forged Royal Court documents proving that he was the illegitimate son of __**Prince Wenzeslaus**__ of __**Liechtenstein**__." _Peter said as he handed Neal the case folder.

_That was true._ Neal said to himself as he took the folder from his partner. 'The Baron', who had the alias '**Sebastian Constantin**' at the time, had presented the Royal Court of Liechtenstein official documents proving that he was the illegitimate son of Prince Wenzeslaus. The forgeries had been so good that even after multiple tests, it had been proven to be real. He even passed the DNA tests with flying colors, although that too was later proven to be forged. Even more shocking was the fact that The Baron was only 21 years old when he successfully pulled off this scheme.

In exchange for his silence, The Royal Family had given 'Sebastian' the title, **Baron of Reitberg.** That title came with shareholdings at **Liechtenstein Global Trust**, the largest family-owned private wealth and asset manager in Europe, owned entirely by the the Prince of Liechtenstein Foundation. As a Royal, 'Sebastian' also gained access to $21.6M worth of inheritance money from the late **Prince Philipp Erasmus**, the standard amount the late prince left individually to all of his grandchildren.

That con lasted for over a year. 'Sebastian' lived the Royal lifestyle, as if it was really his birthright. Amazingly enough, he did this without leaving any photographic traces of himself, and had managed to stay away from the tabloids' radar. By the time the Royal Court had discovered the truth, 'Sebastian' was long gone, along with his $21.6M inheritance. He had disappeared without a trace, leaving only a distinct '_signature'_ in the middle of his empty Royal apartment. Interpol had been after him ever since.

"_Case number two."_ Peter said, interrupting Neal's thoughts. _"You stole __**Edgar Allan Poe**__'s '__**Tamerlane**__'. He steals __**William Shakespeare**__'s __**First Folio**__."_ Peter stated as he handed Neal another folder.

Again, another truth. Nine months after the 'Liechtenstein Job', The Baron struck again, this time in the United Kingdom. '_**Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies.' **_is the collection of 36 of William Shakespeare's plays published in 1623. Modern scholars commonly refer to it as the **First Folio****. **It was stolen from it's display case at Durham University in England. The only thing left inside the case was the same distinct '_signature'_ that The Baron left behind back in Liechtenstein.

"_Case number three."_ Peter continued. _"You stole __**George Washington's Love Letters.**__ He steals __**Ludwig van Beethoven's Immortal Beloved Letters.**__"_ Peter handed Neal another case folder.

Another ten months passed after 'stealing Shakespeare', The Baron continued his criminal activities, this time in Germany. **Beethoven's Letters** to his **Immortal Beloved** were three famous love letters included in the **Heiligenstadt Testament**, written by the composer to his famous yet anonymous mystery lover. The letters were reported stolen from the **Beethoven-Haus Bonn Museum**. Again no traces nor fingerprints were left, except for The Baron's usual '_signature_', which had become his calling card.

"_Case number four."_ Peter continued. _"You were accused of stealing the 42 carat __**Steinmetz Pink Diamond**__ from __**Le Joyau Precieux.**__ He steals the __**76 carat Archduke Joseph Diamond**__ from the __**New York Museum of Natural History**__."_ Peter stated, tossing Neal another folder.

The Baron had lied-low for a while after the Bonn Museum theft. His little high-end criminal activities had stopped for quite some time, that the authorities actually thought that he had gone into early retirement. They were wrong. Three years ago, he had orchestrated one of the most brazen diamond heists ever pulled on American soil.

Neal looked a the photo stills inside the folder. Photos of a masked man dressed in black, being lowered down by cables attached to a winch from the ceiling, expertly avoiding the laser sensors. He remembered that day well. It was the day when Special Agent Peter Burke first became aware of the master criminal he later dubbed as The Baron.

Neal looked at more photo stills, all of them he had seen before, but still he couldn't help but smile every time he sees it. Neal stared at one particular photo, the one where the thief, who was hanging upside down, looked directly at the camera, as if taunting them. With the mask on, the only thing you could see were The Baron's deep blue eyes. Peter took a mental note of the expression on Neal's face. _A look of pride._ Peter thought.

It had been three years since The Baron had stolen The Archduke Joseph Diamond from right underneath their noses. The internally flawless diamond, worth over $25M, was ranked as the world's 12th largest perfect white diamond. It was loaned by the owners, The Molina Group, to be on display on a week long exhibit at the New York Museum of Natural History.

Even with the museums enhanced security detail on high alert, the bandit still managed to sneak by and steal the precious diamond, leaving no trace except his usual calling card inside the display case. A testament to The Baron's well-honed stealth skills as a master thief.

Peter found the lack of trail leading to the master criminal very frustrating. What irked him even more was the fact that the crime happened on his watch. When he found out about The Baron's criminal history, he became more intrigued. Elizabeth even mentioned that the last time she had seen Peter this preoccupied with catching a criminal was when he was in pursuit of Neal Caffrey.

"_Which brings us to case number five!" _Peter said exasperatedly as he threw him the last folder. _"You stole the **Antioch manuscripts**. He steals the **Codex Gigas**." _he continued with a tone of extreme frustration in his voice. This case was the latest one, less than seven months old.

It was a known fact that Neal had stolen the Antioch manuscripts, a collection of handwritten texts of the New Testament believed to be the point of origin in which the King James Bible was based upon. It wasn't an easy task, but he had managed to liberate the manuscript from the Institute for New Testament Textual Research at the University of Münster in Westphalia, Germany.

The Baron decided to outdo him once again, this time by stealing the Codex Gigas. Also known as **The Devil's Bible**, Codex Gigas is the largest extant medieval manuscript in the world. It was secured and hidden from the public by the National Library of Sweden in Stockholm. And yet, The Baron had stolen it with great ease. Even more impressive was that he did it without the aid of carrier pigeons. Neal chuckled at the thought.

"_Are you laughing, Neal? Is this amusing to you? Because I'm not amused!"_ Peter said, a bit more infuriated now than he was earlier. _"Whoever this __guy is, he has a connection to you! Every crime he commits is tied to your past! Now, add all of that to the calling card he keeps leaving, I can't help but think __that you're keeping some thing from me, Neal!" _Peter pressed, slightly yelling.

Neal remained silent and avoided looking at Peter in the eyes. Although he never admitted it, Neal never denied it either. Peter was right, there was a connection between him and The Baron. There was a reason why The Baron kept committing all these brazen crimes. Neal remembered doing the same kind of high-end crime spree when he was younger and a lot more immature. Back then, Neal did it to catch Kate's attention.

The Baron was doing the same thing now. He was trying to catch Neal's attention. And Neal knows why. More than that, he knows the real identity of The Baron. He was that beautiful little boy that Alex Hunter reluctantly introduced to him over 20 years ago. The boy with same dark hair and deep blue eyes that mirrored Neal's. **Nicholas Leopold Hunter**, that was his name. Obviously, that boy was all grown up by now. Neal picked up the evidence bag that held inside the calling card that The Baron kept leaving in all of the crime scenes. It was an **origami lily**.

_You have my attention, son! _Neal thought. _What now?_ he wondered.

* * *

~END OF CHAPTER ONE~

* * *

**Footnotes **:

*This chapter serves more as a prologue to the succeeding chapters.

*Story is set twenty years into the future...in MY head, Neal would be in his mid to late forties. Peter would be in his mid to late fifties. And sorry for the lack of flying cars and hover boards! =D

*I gave Mozzie the happy ending since he was the most unlikely to fall in love and settle down. Imagine Moz with a wife (perhaps Gina, who knows?) and kids and living in sunny California!

*Alex's story will be revealed gradually as the story progresses. It's a bit heart-breaking but necessary to understand why Nicholas turned out to be the kind of man he had become.

*To explain, after June died, Neal moved out of the mansion on his own. Maybe he thought it didn't seem right to continue living there since June was gone.

*In MY head, Neal married Sara out of impulse, and the hopes of getting a happy ending of his own. Boy, was he wrong! (Obviously, not a huge fan of Sara Ellis!)

*I imagine Neal would be happy being Peter's best friend and partner and even happier being Catherine's uncle. It would keep Peter on his toes trying to figure out what Uncle Neal had been teaching his little girl!

*I imagine Catherine Burke as the type of young woman who is kind, gentle, annoyingly sweet and at the same time, refreshingly innocent, to the point of being naïve. You'll find out more about her in the next chapters.

*Yes, there really is a Royal Family of Liechtenstein and they do own LGT.

*There really is a 900-page Shakespeare's First Folio. It was stolen from Durham Unversity, England in 1998 and was reportedly later recovered in Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C. in 2008.

*Beethoven really did write 3 love letters to an anonymous lover known only as his Immortal Beloved. There had been much speculations but no conclusions as to who she really was.

*The 76 carat Archduke Joseph Diamond really does exist. It went up for auction at Christies' in Geneva on November 1993 and was sold for $6,487,945 and is now worth $25M.

*Did a bit of research...yes, the Antioch manuscript is real and so is the Codex Gigas. So (fiction-wise) Neal stole the manuscript from which the King James Bible originated from...what would be more fitting than for his own son to steal The Devil's Bible?


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

* * *

_Paris, France (two months later)_...

Catherine Burke was in the waiting area sitting next to her mother, Elizabeth, inside Paris-Charles De Gaulle International Airport. They were patiently waiting for Elizabeth's flight to start boarding. After spending a couple of months in Paris with her daughter, it is now time for her to go back home to New York City. El hadn't planned on staying in Paris for that long, but it took a while for them to find a suitable apartment for Cat, as she is fondly called, as well as to make sure that she was enrolled in the right classes.

"_Mom, I really am going to miss you and Dad!"_ Cat said, resting her head on her mother's shoulder.

"_I know this is going to be tough on you, sweetie! It is your first time living very far away from us! But remember, you're a Burke! You can do anything you set __you're mind to!"_ El encouragingly said to her daughter.

Cat, being an only child and a daughter nonetheless, had grown up pampered by her parents. Not in a spoiled kind of way, just very much loved and trusted. She grew up very close to her parents. She did everything that was expected of what a good daughter would do. She studied hard and had great grades. And she never let her parents down nor gave them any disappointments. Even when she first went to college in NYU, she spent most of her time at home than in her dorm. Now here she was, their little princess, all grown up and living in Paris.

"_Don't get me wrong, I'm up for the challenge! It's just that it will take a while before I get used to the fact that I won't have you guys to come home to anymore!" _Cat replied.

"_Oh, sweetie! You will always have a home in New York! This is just a temporary thing! Think of it as an adventure!"_ El said, touching her daughter's face. _"And believe me, this is much harder on your father than it is for you! Seriously, __if he was here, he would be begging you to come home with us right now!"_ she added.

"_What about you, Mom? You're okay with this?"_ Cat asked.

"_Yes, I am. I will miss you a lot, but I know that we've taught you and raised you properly and now it's time for you to discover life through you own eyes! But I love you, don't you ever forget that!"_ El answered emotionally.

"_Discover life through my own eyes, that sounds daunting!"_ Cat said.

"_It is. It's also fun!"_ El replied.

_"And if I make mistakes along the way? What then?" _she asked her mom, looking genuinely concerned.

_"Cat, everyone makes mistakes. That's the best teacher! They serve as learning experiences. Look, sweetie, you're the best daughter I, or any mother, could ever hope for. But I'm not under any delusions that you're perfect. You're allowed to be human from time to time!" _she told Cat, brushing a strand of hair away from her daughter's face and giving her one her sweetest smiles.

_"Wow, I was really expecting you to tell me to be careful and behave myself while I'm living here, Mom!" _Cat kidded as she smiled back at her.

_"Cat, there is so much out there for you to discover and live through! Don't let yourself miss out on any of it!"_ El continued, with seriousness in her tone.

"_Ah, I'm sensing a lecture coming!"_ Cat joked.

"_I'm just saying, you should open yourself up more to what the world has to offer __out there. You can't just let your life here be all about your studies!"_ El said with a smile. _"Look, sweetie, I'm not telling you to get wild and go crazy. Just enjoy yourself every so often! It's like what Ferris Bueller said. Life moves pretty fast...if you don't stop and look around you every once in a while, you might miss it!"_ El advised her daughter.

"_Seriously, Mom? Ferris Buller?" _Cat laughed

"_Hey, I may not be as good with quotes as your Uncle Mozzie, but the basic messages stands! Learn to be happy, my dear!"_ El replied.

"_I am happy, Mom!"_ Cat answered, starting to get defensive.

"_It will be easier if you have friends here." _El pressed.

"_Mom!"_ Cat said in a protesting tone.

"_There's that American lady in your building, she seemed alright!"_ El joked.

"_Who? Mrs. Durand? The pot-smoking widow with the foul mouth? You really want your own daughter to hang out with her?"_ Cat asked, looking at her mother incredulously.

"_Oh, what about that Irish girl who lives in the same floor as you, Siobahn? She's your age. May be you two can be friends."_ El insisted.

"_She has pink hair, Mom!" _Cat replied.

"_Catherine Rose Burke! I never thought that I had raised a daughter who would judge people by the color of their hair!"_ El said jokingly. _"Alright, sweetie. If you don't like the people I've mentioned, then find someone you can be friends with. Just promise me you'll make an effort."_ El added.

"_Alright, Mom. I promise!"_ Cat relented. Actually, once you get past the wild hair, Siobahn is actually pretty nice. And they have a few classes together, so they might be seeing each other a lot.

"_That's my girl! Besides, maybe you'll meet a great guy along the way! You never know!"_ El said, wiggling her eyebrows.

"_Mom, I hate to break it to you, but all the great guys are either married or gay!" _Cat joked. _"Besides, I have high standards! I want the same thing that you and Dad have! I want a man who would love me the same way Dad loves you! I want him to look at me in the same loving manner that Dad looks at you!"_ she continued. _"And I haven't found that man yet!"_ she concluded.

"_Maybe you're not looking hard enough!" _El said, half scolding her daughter.

Just then, the voice on the speaker announced that the flight from Paris to New York was boarding. Elizabeth stood up to get ready head for the terminal gate.

"_Alright, sweetie, that's my flight! But before I go, let me leave you with some sage advice. You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince! You have __no idea how many I had to kiss before I found your father! So, my advice, start __kissing! Please!"_ El told her daughter as she hugged her.

Cat laughed and hugged her mother back. _"Goodbye, Mom! Give my love to Dad!" _They made their farewells and Cat watched her mother walk towards the gate. She waited until she was inside, then she left the airport.

* * *

Cat hailed a taxi and made the driver take the scenic route to **Avenue des Champs-Élysées** . She had been in Paris for a couple of months and she still couldn't get enough of the beautiful view. It was breath-taking to look at, whether it's day or night. She didn't feel like going back to her apartment just yet, so she told the driver to take her to Jardin du Luxembourg. The park was her favourite place in Paris so far. It was near the university and just walking distance from her apartment.

Once at the park, she took out her camera from her purse and started taking photos. That was always the part of travelling that she enjoyed the most. Whenever she and her parents would go on vacations, she was always the designated photographer. She was too busy taking photos, she didn't realize that she was being watched.

All of a sudden, a burly man bumped into her, snatched her bag and ran away. Surprised at what had happened, she ran after the guy and began yelling on top of her lungs.

"_Aidez-moi! S'il vous plaît!_ _( __Help me! Please!)" _she screamed as she ran. The guy was faster than her and she was starting to run out of breath and lose hope of catching the snatcher.

Out of nowhere, a man came out and lunged at the guy. A fight broke out between the two, both of them exchanging punches. The taller man, Cat's rescuer, managed to block the burly purse snatcher's punches, as well as threw out a few punches of his own. Then, the thief wielded out a switchblade and attacked her rescuer but missed. The thief lunged at him again, this time slashing her rescuer on the left side of his torso, leaving a gash about a few inches long. Her rescuer winced in pain, but managed to grab the thief's wrist, twisted it, the thief dropping the knife. Her rescuer then kneed him in the gut, then delivered a swift kick to the thief's head, which rendered the thief unconscious. The man, while grasping the wound on his side, picked up Cat's bag and handed it back to her, without uttering a word.

"_Oh my God! Merci beaucoup, monsieur! (Thank you very much, sir!)"_ she said to the man.

"_Don't mention it!" _the man replied in English,much to her surprise. The man still wincing from the pain.

"_You speak English! Thank you again!" _she said. She then noticed the wound bleeding from his side. _" You're hurt! Oh God! Someone call an ambulance, please!" _she said frantically.

"_No need for that, Miss! It's not that deep!" _said her rescuer as he picked up his leather jacket from the ground and put it on.

"_Wait! You shouldn't move so much! That's not going to help with the bleeding!"_ she said to the stranger. Her eyes locked with his, and she was mesmerized. He had the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen in a man. Even more beautiful than her Uncle Neal's, and that's saying a lot.

"_Really, Miss, I'll be fine. I really should be on my way now." _the stranger said.

"_Just wait! The police will be here soon! They'll need both our statements. I'll take you to the hospital myself after that!" _she said. She looked away for a moment and saw the police approaching. _"See, here they are now!"_ She turned around and saw that she was talking to no one. The mysterious stranger had vanished.

* * *

~END OF CHAPTER TWO~

* * *

**Footnotes** :

*In my head, Catherine Burke physically looks like a younger Anne Hathaway.

*I wanted Cat to be portrayed as a "lamb released into a world filled with wolves in sheep's clothing".

*Next few chapters will mostly be about Cat's adventures in Paris. I promise I'll do my best not to bore you!

*Have you guessed who the mysterious stranger is yet?


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

* * *

It was early Monday morning. Cat was sitting in the kitchen, drinking her coffee. She had just gotten off the phone after talking to her parents. She wanted to make sure that her mom got back home safely. She decided not to tell them about the park incident that happened a couple of days ago. She didn't want to worry them. Her dad would probably flip out, get on the next flight to Paris just to drag her back home. Worse, he could hire people to guard her 24/7. She continued to drink her coffee and read the newspaper. She wasn't in too much of a hurry. Today was the first day of class, but it was mostly orientation. It doesn't start till later in the morning.

She thought she was imagining things when she heard a cat's loud meow. She heard it a few more times and traced it coming from outside her door. She opened her door and found a black cat scratching and meowing at the door of the apartment right in front of hers. The door opened, and Cat was surprised to see who it was. It was her rescuer, the mysterious stranger from the park.

"_Must you really make that annoying noise this early in the morning?" _the man asked the black cat, very irritated. The cat just meowed at him as it entered his apartment.

Cat looked at her new neighbor. The tall stranger stood there, barefoot, and was only wearing pajama bottoms. Her gaze trailed at his long, lean torso, from his toned abs, up to his well-defined chest, and she blushed. The man was built like a sculpture of a Greek god. It took a lot from her to gather up enough courage just to say hi.

"_Hello."_ the man answered with a half-smile that revealed his gorgeous dimples. _"You'll have to excuse me. I'm still half-asleep. Have we met?"_ he asked, with the look of slight confusion on his face.

"_Uhm, yeah, actually we have. You rescued me from a purse snatcher at the park __the other day."_ she answered. She noticed the bandage on his side. _"I'm glad you had that checked out."_ she said, her head motioning towards the injury.

"_Oh, yes! I remember." _he said. _"Yeah, it's fine now. Nothing worth fuzzing over."_ he told her, his hand gently patting the bandage. _"Besides, that which does not kill me only makes me stronger." _he added, cryptically.

Cat couldn't help but stare at the man before her. Her attention now focused at the man's beautiful face. She looked into his intense blue eyes and wanted to run her hands all over his disheveled hair. The man was, aesthetically-wise, just simply gorgeous. A bit older than her, but then again, her dad was years older than her mom. _Damn it, Cat! You have a sexy man right here in front of you, and you're thinking of your father? What the hell is wrong with you? Quick, say something before he walks way!_ her brain screamed at her.

"_That's a very cute cat you've got there!"_ she stammered. That sounded so stupid, but she wanted to keep the conversation going.

"_What? That? It's not mine. It was left behind by the couple who used to live in this apartment. It just keeps coming back here, as if it owns the place."_ he replied, mildly annoyed.

"_You keep saying 'it'...you don't know whether the cat's a boy or a girl?"_ she asked him, a bit confused.

"_I respect it's privacy!"_ he answered, with a serious look on his face. He saw her laugh and he smiled a little.

"_My name's Catherine Burke, but you can call me Cat."_ she introduced herself, her hand outstretched to shake his.

"_Wow, I seem to be a magnet for cats." _he joked. _"I'm Luc Moreau. Pleased to meet you, Catherine Burke."_ he said as he shook her hand.

"_Pleasure's all mine, Luc Moreau."_ she replied. She couldn't believe it. She was actually having a normal conversation with a guy.

Just then, Siobahn came out from the apartment three doors down. She waved to Cat as she walked towards them. She saw the half-naked Luc leaning by the door, and she winked at him.

"_Looking good there, Luc!" _said the Irish girl with the wild pink hair.

"_Good morning, Siobahn! Not so bad there yourself." _Luc said, with a full smile, giving Cat another view of his gorgeous dimples. _"Alright, ladies, you both enjoy the rest of your day." _he excused himself as he turned around and went back inside his apartment.

Siobahn turned to Cat and gave her an impish grin. _"Is he your boyfriend?"_ she asked wiggling her eyebrows at her.

"_What? No?"_ Cat replied as she blushed.

"_But you want him to be, right?" _Siobahn teased her some more.

"_Siobahn, I just met the guy, alright! God, I hope he's not hearing you right now!"_ she said, shaking her head as her face turned redder. _Was she really that obvious?_ she thought, slightly ill at ease.

"_Relax! I was just kidding!"_ Siobahn said, laughing.

Cat smiled at her. _"So, how well do you know him? Just curious, you know. I mean, he is my neighbour too!"_ Cat stammered.

"_Ah hah! So, you are interested!" Siobahn_ rubbed it in. She saw Cat blush again. _"Well, to answer your question, he moved here about a couple of months before you did. You know, you really need to pay more attention to your neighbours!" _she chastised Cat. She continued. _"Anyways, back to Luc Moreau! He is 28 years old. Don't ask me how I knew! Not sure where he's from, but every once in while, he slips into a Central European accent. H__e pretty much keeps to himself. Don't really know what he does for a living, but I won't be surprised if he's a __model for Calvin Klein. Pretty mysterious. He's either out most of the time, or stays in his apartment a lot. It takes him a while to warm up to people, but once he does, he could be pretty funny. Great sense of humour, and a really big flirt! And not at all painful to look at. I can see why you would be 'curious'!"_ she detailed, noting the look of embarrassment on Cat's face.

"_Well, thank you, Siobahn. That was very helpful!" _Cat said in a dry tone. She started to turn around to go back inside her apartment but Siobahn continued talking.

"_Hey, I noticed we're taking a few of the same classes! You wanna go there together today? You know, safety in numbers, this being the first day of school and all!"_ she asked her.

"_Yeah, sure. Sounds fun."_ Cat replied. She remembered she promised her Mom that she'd make some new friends. Besides, she had a feeling that she could learn a few things from the bubbly and confident Irish girl. She went inside her her apartment and got ready for her first day at the university.

* * *

After the classes were over, Cat decided to spend the afternoon hanging out with Siobahn. They shared stories about themselves and bonded over their love of photography. Somehow, their conversation trailed back to Luc.

"_I'm telling you, Cat, the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach! You wanna get closer to Luc, do it through food!"_ Siobahn urged her.

"_And I'm telling you, I'm not interested in Luc in that way! I have a full load of classes this semester, I won't have time for a boyfriend!"_ she explained to her new friend. _It wasn't an entire lie._ she thought.

"_Yeah, right! And yet, you already think of him as 'boyfriend' material!"_ Siobahn pointed out.

Their conversation continued as they shared a taxi back to their apartment building. Cat realized that there's nothing wrong with what Siobahn suggested. Besides, as her mom told her, she needed to make friends.

* * *

Later that night, Cat made her specialty. She wasn't that good at cooking, but she was an excellent baker. She baked her special white chocolate cupcakes, a favourite of her Uncle Neal's as she remembered. She planned to give them to Luc as a 'thank-you gift' for saving her in the park.

Cat knocked at Luc's door. There was no answer at first. She knocked again a few times. _Maybe he's out._ she thought. Frustrated, she started to turn around to go back to her apartment. Then she heard Luc's voice.

"_Entrez! Porte est ouverte! (Come in! Door's open!)" _Luc finally answered.

Cat opened his door and went inside. She found him in the living room, his back to the window, standing in front of an easel. A brush on one hand and a palette on the other, he was too caught up on what he was painting. She just stood there staring at him. She marveled at her handsome neighbour, who was barefoot, dressed in denim jeans and a dark grey t-shirt, paint stains all over his clothes, arms and face.

"_Hi!"_ she managed to say, catching his attention. _"I brought you some of the cupcakes I made. Consider them as a thank-you gift, for rescuing me the other day."_ she said, hoping the he didn't notice her staring at him earlier.

"_I told you, don't mention it!"_ he calmly said, without looking up from his painting. _"I'm sorry. I'm being rude. Thank you, Cat. You can set them down on the table."_ he said as he finally looked at her, pointing to where the table was. She did as she was told.

There was silence again. She watched Luc mix colors and brush them over the canvas. _"So, you're an artist? That's pretty awesome!" _she said, finally breaking the silence.

"_I dabble. I mostly do it to pass the time." _he replied.

"_Would you mind if I take a look ?" _she asked him, not sure at how he would react.

"_No, not at all. Come over here." _he answered, inviting her to join him where he was standing.

She walked over to where he was and peeked over his shoulder to see what he was working on. It was an unfinished painting of a goddess. A woman clothed with the light from the sun, her feet floating over the waves of the deep blue ocean. Even though it was incomplete, it was a beautiful work of art. Luc was very talented.

"_That looks amazing! Is it Aphrodite?"_ she asked him, as she admired his work.

Luc shook his head. _"Venus."_ he answered, without stopping his brush strokes.

"_There's a distinction between the two?" _she asked him, a bit confused.

Luc stopped what he was doing and looked at her. _"Yes, actually there is."_ he answered. _"It's a common misconception that the two goddesses are one and the same, only with different names."_ he continued, his voice so calm and soothing. _"**Aphrodite**, in Greek mythology, is the goddess of love and beauty, but that's where the similarities end. In art, she was portrayed as either scantily clothed or fully naked. In history, she was often associated with seduction along with her affairs with mortal heroes. Mostly known for her malicious shenanigans that incited conflicts and started bloody wars that lasted for years. And she wasn't particularly maternal in nature."_ he explained.

Cat merely stood there, looking at him, mesmerized. She absorbed everything he was saying and hung on to his every word.

Luc continued to talk. _"**Venus**, the goddess of love and beauty in Roman mythology, was viewed differently. You'll see her in art as fully garbed, with a __crown on her head, classically beautiful, with womanly curves and an astute smile. She was also known as the goddess of vegetation, of fertility, of motherhood and domesticity. She was the bringer of victory and good fortune, as well as the protector of feminine chastity."_ he told her, quite passionately. He looked at Cat to make sure he wasn't boring her, and was pleased to see that she was still paying attention.

"_I wasn't aware of that."_ Cat finally spoke after listening to his lesson in art and history. _"One question for you though, why doesn't she have a face?"_ she asked him, after noticing that the face of the woman in the painting was still blank.

"_I'm waiting to be inspired."_ was his only answer. He put down his brush and palette and faced her again. _"I'm sorry, I'm being rude again! Would you like anything to drink? Coffee? Tea, perhaps?"_ he offered.

"_Tea would be fine, if it's not too much trouble." _she answered. She didn't want to impose.

"_No trouble at all! It's the least I could do since you brought me all those delicious-looking cupcakes."_ he said.

He went and got himself cleaned up, and put the kettle on to make tea. They later sat in his kitchen and had an engaging conversation for hours, as they ate cupcakes and had some tea.

* * *

The following days after that, when her classes were done, Cat spent most of her time trying to 'casually' run into Luc. She pretended to bump into him in the hallway, or run into him while getting mail from the post box. She made up an excuse that she was trying to get a part-time job, when they had a 'chance encounter' at the local art supply shop she knew he frequented.

Then one night, she heard Luc come out of his apartment. She opened her door to spy on where he was going, and was surprised to see him headed for the rooftop. He was dressed in all black and held a case in his hand. She went out and followed him.

_Oh my God! This guy's going to end up having me arrested for stalking him!_ she thought, as she went out after him up the stairs.

Cat did her best to keep quiet as she followed him as stealthily as she could. She opened the door that lead to the rooftop and found Luc standing in the middle. His head was looking up in the sky and in his hand was a violin. Cat held her breath as he began to play. He played a violin solo version of the **Adagio from Mozart's Piano Sonata no. 2 in F major**. This was the saddest, yet the most beautiful version of the sonata that Cat had ever heard. She tried to hide when he saw that he was done playing, but the door made a loud clanging sound as it closed.

"_Sorry! I didn't think anybody would be here!" _she lied, embarrassed that she got caught. She walked closer to where he was.

"_That's fine. I don't own the building, nor this rooftop. You're entitled to be here __anytime you want."_ he replied.

"_That was beautiful! So, on top of being an artist, you play the violin too?"_ she praised him, not really caring if he heard the tone of admiration in her voice.

"_I fiddle."_ he said modestly. He went to put his violin back in its case.

"_That's a **Stradivarius**!"_ she noticed. _"Those things are very expensive!"_ she said, wondering how Luc could afford such a high-priced instrument.

"_It was a gift from someone."_ was all he said, as he joined her.

He stood beside her, his hands in his pockets, and once again looked up in the sky. They stood there in silence. He gazed upon the sky, as her gaze remained fixed on him. This time, it was Luc who broke the silence.

"_Cat, what's your mother like?"_ he asked her, out of the blue, his gaze never leaving the sky.

"_Well, she is very beautiful. Very wise and very courageous. And quite possibly the best woman I know!" _she answered, her voice filled with pride.

"_Do you love her?"_ he asked her again, his voice almost in a whisper.

"_Yes, of course I do! I love her very much!" _she replied.

"_Good! Make sure you tell her that everyday." _he told her, his voice almost breaking.

She waited for him to speak again but he kept quiet. So she asked him, _"Why did you ask me about my mother, Luc?" _She was curious to know the reason.

"_I'm just remembering my own."_ he answered. He looked at Cat and saw the questioning expression on her face. He continued. _"She died when I was 18 __years old. Today would've been her birthday. I came here, on this gorgeous, full moon night, to play her that song. It held a great significance to her when she was alive."_ he said cryptically.

"_So, when you look up at the stars, you see her? That's sweet." _she said.

"_No. If you knew my mother, you'd know she wouldn't just settle for the stars. She'd be the moon! Nights like this, I look up at the moon and think of her, pretending that she's up there watching over me."_ he said, his voice soft and his eyes filled with sadness.

"_How did she die?"_ she asked him.

"_Painfully."_ was all he said. He was staring at the moon again, entranced, as if caught in a powerful memory.

Cat decided not to pry any more than she already had. She just stood beside him and continued to watch him in silence.

Luc noticed her keeping at watchful eye on him. _"You should go back inside now. It's starting to get colder."_ he advised her.

"_Alright."_ she said. She proceeded to the door. She didn't really want to leave. She wanted to be there if Luc needed a friend. She took one last glance at the mysterious man, his sad eyes filled with pain, and decided that he needed to be alone. She then went inside, back to her apartment, and she gave her mother a call.

* * *

~END OF CHAPTER THREE~

* * *

**Footnotes** :

*I imagine "Luc" as part Bryce Larkin, part Neal Caffrey, all Matt Bomer. He looks great with or without clothes.

*Siobahn was loosely based on a friend I knew in high school.

*There's an ongoing debate on whether or not Venus & Aphrodite were one and the same.

*Yes, there will still be post boxes in the in the future. Just go with it!

*The Adagio from Mozart's Piano Sonata no. 2 in F major was the music played by the Amber Music Box, but you already knew that.

*A Stradivarius is the finest, most expensive violin in existence.

*Will reveal more of Alex's story later. Needless to say, it will be heart-breaking.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

* * *

As days went by, Cat found herself more drawn to Luc. They actually had gotten closer since that night on the rooftop. More than that, she didn't have to pretend to run into him somewhere. She saw a lot of him at the park where she likes to go on her free time to take pictures. The same park where she first met her mystery man. She, along with her friend Siobahn, had also decided to get that part time job at the local art supplies shop where Luc bought most of his materials from, so she saw a lot of him in there too.

Siobahn was right. Luc had a great sense of humour once you get to know him. Most of the time they spend together, he makes her laugh the whole time. She had gotten more comfortable around him. She had mostly stopped the stammering, but the occasional blushing was still there. She wasn't sure if he had noticed that she had been attracted to him for quite some time now. She wouldn't mind if he'd noticed though. But for now, she's quite content on being Luc's friend.

Siobahn warned her a few times. _"Careful now, Cat! You don't want to get stuck on the 'just friends' zone! Or worse, you might get too comfortable with each other, he just might start treating you like a little sister!"_ said her Irish friend.

Cat didn't pay much attention to it. It was more important to her to get Luc to trust her. He was a very secretive man. He would go out sometimes and disappear for days, only to come back as if nothing happened. Or they would be in the middle of a conversation and he would get a phone call that required his immediate attention. When she asked him once what his job was, he told her that he was just a slacker. Of course, she didn't believe him. A man as talented as Luc was too good to be a slacker. She just wished that she could get him to open up to her. Luc just talks and talks, but never really tells her anything.

* * *

One day, Cat went to the park during one of her free periods. She needed to see Luc there, she wanted to ask him something. She knew he'd be there. This, after all, had become 'their' park. Their special place. Well, at least, for her it was. She did see Luc there that day. He was his usual handsome self, wearing that same leather jacket he wore the day he rescued her. Only, he wasn't there alone. He was with another woman.

Cat looked closely to at the woman. She was a tall brunette, older than Luc, and was wearing a head-turning, very sexy, red mini dress. She didn't recognize her though. Cat may not know who the woman was, but she hated her already. The woman couldn't keep her hands off Luc. _She looks like a slag!_ she thought. That wasn't true though. The woman looked strikingly beautiful, something that made Cat even more jealous.

It didn't ease her resentment when she saw the woman kiss Luc. Not just a simple peck on the cheek, but a deep, open-mouthed kiss that seemed to last an eternity. _How dare that cougar kiss MY Luc, in OUR park of all places!_ her brain screamed in anger. And worse, Luc didn't seem to mind. She wanted to run towards where they were and pull the woman by the hair away from him and claw her eyes out. After the kiss was over, she saw the woman give Luc a small, brown envelope, which he then put inside his breast pocket. Luc kissed the woman's hand as she walked away.

Cat was confused as to what had just happened. She decided to maintain her composure. She took a deep breath to calm her emotions, and walked over to where Luc was standing. He was looking the other way, still following that woman with his eyes.

"_I know your secret, Luc Moreau!"_ she whispered as she sneaked up from behind him.

Luc turned around and was surprised to see her. _"And which secret would that be?"_ he asked, one of his eyebrows arched.

"_What you really do for a living. You're always so secretive about what your job is! I knew all that talk about being a slacker was sheer crap! I know what you really are!"_ she said, toying with him.

"_And that is?"_ he asked, a bit nervous.

"_You, Luc Moreau, are a gigolo!"_ she replied, trying hard to keep a straight face.

Luc started laughing quite loudly. It was quite a sight. He was even more gorgeous when he laughed. Those little crinkles on the side of his intense eyes, those beautiful pearly white teeth, and those dimples. Whatever anger she felt earlier, it was gone now. She saw Luc smiling at her, and she forgave him.

"_I prefer male escort, if you don't mind!"_ he told her once his fit of laughter had subsided.

It was her turn to laugh. She decided to play along. _"So, you only take cougars as clients, or are kittens welcome too?" _she asked as she feigned a seductive smile.

"_Kittens, cougars, all are welcome! I don't discriminate!" _he answered with a playful smile. _"So, what brings you here?"_ he asked her.

"_Actually, I was looking for you. I need a favour."_ she said.

"_Name it!"_ he replied.

"_I was invited to this exhibit opening. Apparently, the Chancellor of the University fancies himself as an artist and is showcasing his work at the Galerie Chantal Crousel. I was one of the select few students to get an invite. Now, I don't know if you'd noticed, but I'm not exactly sociable. I kind of want to go, but I don't wanna go alone. Can you be my plus one? Please!" _she asked, her palms pressed together.

"_Oh, geez! You see, Cat, social gatherings with educators from an institute of higher learning isn't exactly my cup of tea. No matter how much art you throw into the mix. I just feel awkward around those kind of people."_ he declined as respectfully as he could.

"_Come on , Luc! Maybe we could be awkward together!"_ she beseeched, as she smiled at him sheepishly. She saw that he was reluctant, but she didn't want to give up now.

"_Hmmm...I don't have to wear a neck tie, do I?" _he asked. _"Because I'm not big fan of neck ties! It's daft that a man wakes up in the morning, thinking he'll be ruling the world one day, but he needs to start his day by tying a little noose around his neck!"_ he said emphatically.

"_You know what? I haven' t known you for that long, but I think there might be something wrong with you!" _she said jokingly, laughing at what Luc said.

"_That's what all my shrinks told me!" _Luc said. Cat wasn't entirely sure if he was kidding.

"_Shrinks? You have shrinks? Plural?" _she asked him.

"_Well, not anymore! Conflict of interest."_ he answered.

"_Why? What happened?" _she asked curiously.

"_I kept sleeping with them!" _he said with a smile.

"_What? It didn't occur to you to just hire a male shrink?" _she asked, chuckling.

"_Where would be the fun in that?"_ he asked rhetorically.

Cat laughed. _"Anyway, back to the party. You don't have to wear a tie! There! Now will you go with me?"_ she asked him again.

_"Depends. When is this party?" _he asked.

"_It's this Friday night."_ she replied, hoping he'll say yes.

"_Oohhh! Sorry, I can't! I may be busy that night!"_ he said, with uncertainty in his voice.

"_Maybe busy? Come on, Luc! What, you have a date with your cougar?"_ she asked, starting to sound a bit hurt.

_"I'm not promising anything, alright? If I can make it, I will meet you there!" _he told her, a bit hesitant. He saw that his answer made her happy. _"There is one thing I need to ask you, though." _he said, his face serious.

_"What is it?"_ she asked.

_"Will there, in any way, shape, or form, be any sex involved?" _he asked, trying hard not to laugh.

_"What?" _she asked, her face red and eyes wide in shock.

"_I just need to know. Cause if there is, then you may need to have this conversation with my pimp. And don't think that you'll be getting a discount just because we're friends!"_ he continued, amused at the facial expressions he was causing Cat to make.

_"Why, you little..." _she exclaimed as she playfully swatted him with her purse.

* * *

Friday night came and Cat still hasn't heard from Luc. She wasn't too worried for she believed that Luc will do nothing to let her down. She got ready for the party. She wanted to look more sophisticated for her age. She fixed her hair in an up do, sprayed on some perfume, and wore a bit more make up than she usually did. She put on her favourite little black dress and sky high heels that made her look a lot taller.

Once she was done, she looked at the time. Still no Luc. She remembered Luc saying that he might be meeting her at the venue. _That must be it then!_ she thought, still hoping that she'll see him that night. So, she grabbed her purse and went out the door. She slipped the invitation under Luc's door, just in case he forgot when and where the party was being held. She went outside, hailed a taxi and went to the gallery.

At the party, she waited and waited for Luc, making excuses for him inside her head. Excuses such as maybe there's a lot of traffic, or maybe he went to the wrong gallery, or maybe he was lying dead on a ditch somewhere, any excuse to justify why he hasn't shown up yet. As the party drew to a close, she finally accepted the cold, hard truth. Luc stood her up. Disappointed, she headed back to her apartment.

* * *

Back at their building, she ran into Luc in the hallway. He looked like he just got back from outside as well. He smiled when he saw her. She ignored him and just started to open her door.

"_Hello, stranger! Whoa! A little too heavy on the icing there, Kiisu!" _he blurted, remarking about her make-up. His hand was touching her face, his thumb rubbing against her cheek.

She slapped his hand away, turned around and went inside her apartment without uttering a word to him. Once she was inside, she screamed in frustration. She was angry at him and she really didn't know how to process anger. She went to her room jumped in her bed and let her pillow absorb her angry tears.

Meanwhile, back outside, Luc was left standing, still baffled at the reaction he got from Cat. He noticed her anger, angry at him, quite obviously, but he didn't know why. He went inside his own apartment and noticed an envelope. He picked it up and opened it, and noticed who it was from.

"_Damn it!"_ he cursed as he realized why Cat was angry. He had forgotten about the party.

* * *

The next day, Luc spent mostly following Cat around, trying to apologize. She continued to ignore him and refused to say a single word to him. He followed her at the post box, at the shop, at the cafe, then at the park. They arrived at that spot in the park where they first met, where he once again tried his best to get her to speak to him, trying to explain, but was again answered with silence.

"_Okay, you know what? The whole silent treatment was cute for like ten minutes, and maybe the first 5 miles you've had me chasing after you. Now it just getting old!" _he said, now getting angry.

Cat kept ignoring him and started walking away. He ran after her and went past her so they were now standing face to face. She stopped walking. She looked at him but still didn't speak.

"_Look, you're most endearing quality is that you're a great listener, so I know you're not really deaf. And I know for a fact that you can talk, so don't keep pretending that you're a mute. Stop ignoring me, or I swear to God, I'm going to pry your mouth open with my tongue!"_ he said quite loudly, attracting a few people's attention.

"_What? You really are insane!"_ she replied in shock.

"_Got you to talk!"_ he said. He gently grabbed her arm when he saw her starting to walk away again. _"Why are you so mad at me?"_ he asked her.

"_Cows get mad, Luc! People get angry!"_ she said without answering his question.

"_Okay, why are you so angry at me?"_ he rephrased his question.

"_I waited and waited and waited for you last night. I just stood there the entire time, looking stupid!"_ she snarled at him.

"_You're angry because you looked stupid in front of people you don't even know?"_ he shouted back.

"_It's not about that!"_ she answered, her eyes starting to fill with tears. _"I was really looking forward to last night, and you let me down!"_ she said, hurt.

"_I told you that I may be busy! You weren't taking no for an answer!"_ he tried to explain.

"_Oh, so this is my fault?"_ she asked, disbelievingly, as she started to walk away again.

He pulled her back gently, his hands holding on to her shoulders. _"I didn't mean it like that!"_ he said.

Cat waited for him to continue. She waited for him to explain. She wanted to hear him ask for forgiveness. She watched him closely after he let go of her and brought both his hands to his head, his wrists touching his eyes, as he growled in frustration.

He looked at her once more. Finally, he talked. _"Look, Cat! I'm sorry, I didn't show up last night! There, I apologized, are you happy now? I had other things on my mind and I forgot. I screwed up, okay! Not everyone is as perfect as you!"_ he said in a hushed but hard tone. _"You said, you were disappointed in me? __Well you better get used to that feeling! Because if you're going to continue being my friend, you'll find out that I am just one disappointment after another! You are just one in a long list of people that I have let down! Because, that's who I am! That's what I do! I fail the people in my life!"_ he told her, as he brushed past her and walked away.

Cat felt guilty after hearing Luc's revelation. Everything sounded so trivial now, leaving her feeling so immature. Yes, she was hurt when Luc stood her up, but she had a feeling his pain, at the moment, was much deeper. She turned around to stop Luc from leaving, and to apologise, but it was too late. He was gone. He had disappeared yet again.

* * *

~END OF CHAPTER FOUR~

* * *

Footnotes :

*Cat seemed immature and childish because this is the first time she was going through all this. All she ever did in life before Paris was study, this was the first time she fell for someone.

*You'll see more of the mystery woman in future chapters.

*Kiisu - "kitten" in Estonian


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N : **Warning : Some adult content and language in this chapter.

* * *

**CHAPTER FIVE**

* * *

Luc had disappeared for days. It had been almost a week since anyone had seen him last. Cat missed him a lot, his smile, his jokes, everything about him. It affected her disposition quite a bit. She had been in a foul mood at work and couldn't concentrate in her classes at school. Siobahn tried her best to cheer her up. She invited Cat to her birthday party at the local pub near their apartment.

"_Come on, it'll be fun!" _she urged Cat. _"It's Friday night! We'll go out, celebrate my birthday with a few other mates. We'll get pissed drunk and you'll forget all about your blue-eyed demon!"_ she said to her.

"_He's not a demon! Besides, I don't drink!" _Cat confessed.

"_What do you mean you don't drink? Tell me something, were you raised in a convent?"_ Siobahn joked.

"_I wasn't interested in any of that. When my face wasn't glued to books, I was always either in libraries or museums or hanging out with my family!" _Cat explained to Siobahn.

"_Well, it's about time we put some fun in you! We are going out tonight! It's my birthday, so you can't say no!"_ she declared, wiggling her eyebrows.

* * *

That night, she did go out to the pub with Siobahn, along with a few friends from the university. The plan was just to socialize, since it was her friend's birthday. She had no intention of getting plastered drunk like the others had aimed to be. Well, that was the original plan, at least, till she saw who had just came in from the rain. It was Luc. He's finally back.

"_Siobahn, you know what? I think I'll have that drink now." _she said. She took a shot glass from Siobahn, and her friend filled it with Irish whiskey.

She followed Luc with her gaze, as she drank the shot of whiskey. She almost choked as she felt the drink burn down her throat, but slowly recovered. She stared at him, wondering where he had been this whole time.

He looked fine. He was wearing tight denim jeans, a gray henley shirt and a black vest underneath his favourite leather jacket, still wet from the rain outside. He was also wearing a fedora hat on his head. Most men would look like a cartoon in that outfit, but on him, it looked just right. She took another shot of whiskey as she enjoyed the view.

Cat wondered what he was doing there. She didn't have to wait long to have her question answered, as she saw Luc head towards the bar to meet someone. She strained to see who it was, as she drank another shot. She was surprised to see that Luc was meeting a woman, that cougar from the park. She was dressed in a violet mini dress and was playfully waving a piece of paper in front of Luc's face.

_What the hell is up with this woman? And why does she always have to dress like __there's a fabric shortage in the world? _she thought, very irritated. She took another shot as she watched the woman pull on Luc's hand and dragged him to the dance floor.

Cat couldn't take her eyes off the two as they began to dirty dance in the middle of the dance floor. The woman, her back turned to Luc, rubbed her body up and down his, while Luc's hands roamed all over hers. Cat drank one shot after another, as she watched the two do their seductive dance. Once the music was done, the pair headed back to the bar. Cat, now drunk, had decided to join them.

"_Hey, look at what the cat dragged in! What's up, Luc? Haven't seen you in a while."_ she asked him as she stumbled her way to the bar.

"_Been busy."_ was his short reply.

"_Hello, my name is Annika."_ the sexy woman introduced herself.

"_Well, hello, Annika! Are you a friend of Luc's?"_ she asked her.

"_Hmmm...friend? Not exactly. I guess you could say that I take credit for him. If it weren't for me, he wouldn't have learned how to bump and grind!" _she replied. She began to playfully nibble on Luc's ear.

Cat wanted to punch her in the face. _"Well, that's just nice!"_ she managed to say.

"_What about you? Are you and Luc friends?"_ Annika asked her.

"_I'd like to think that we are. My name's Catherine Burke. Nice to meet you."_ she said, lacking the enthusiasm and not really inclined to shake her hand.

"_Catherine BURKE! Interesting!" _Annika said as she stood up from her seat and stared at Luc. She turned to face Cat. _"Well, I should warn you, Catherine Burke, any friend of Luc's should have their heads examined!"_ she said. She faced Luc again and kissed him hard on the mouth. She then slipped a piece of paper in his jacket pocket. _"I'll see you around, __Casanova!"_ she told him before she walked away.

Cat watched Luc as he followed Annika with his eyes. _"Man whore!"_ she yelled, smacking him on the arm.

"_Ow! What?"_ he asked, stunned.

"_You heard me!"_ she snapped back.

"_Okay, I'd like to have an coherent conversation with you, but clearly that's not possible at the moment."_ he told her. _"Have you been drinking?"_ he asked, smelling alcohol in her breath.

"_Yup! First time! I was just having shots with Siobahn and some friends. It's her birthday, you see, we were celebrating! We were drinking Irish whiskey out of those teeny tiny glasses."_ she explained, slightly slurring.

"_And how many of those teeny tiny glasses have you had?"_ he asked.

"_I lost count after twelve!"_ she answered, her eyebrows furrowed.

"_Oh geez!"_ he blurted. He turned to call the bartender. _"__Louis, un peu de café pour la mademoiselle, s'il vous plaît! [Louis, __some coffee for the lady, please!] _he ordered, handing the man some money.

"_You know what, no! I will decide when I drink coffee! Not you! I want to have some fun! Now, leave me alone, man whore!"_ she yelled at him, quite annoyed.

"_Okay, fine!"_ he yelled back. He stood from the stool, turned around and headed out the door.

She watched Luc leave the pub and she felt bad. She didn't really want him to leave. She wanted to apologize for her behaviour. She wanted him to care for her. But most of all, she just wanted to be Luc's friend again. She stood up and went outside after him.

* * *

"_Luc, wait!"_ she called him once she was outside. It was still drizzling and she didn't have a coat on.

"_Jesus, Cat! Go back inside!"_ he ordered her.

"_Stop telling me what to do!"_ she told him. She was starting to get a little wet.

"_Fine! Where's your coat?"_ he asked her.

"_Inside! But I don't wanna go back there!"_ she answered. She didn't want to let Luc out of her sight.

"_God, you're high-maintenance!" _he said, quite frustrated. He took off his jacket and put it on her. Then he took his hat off and put it on her head.

"_Ohhh! I get the hat too?" _she said laughing, as she looked at him tenderly.

"_Yes, you do! There you go! You're a drunk Cat in the Hat!" _he said smiling and shaking his head.

"_Luc, I'm sorry I'm such a brat! Are we still friends?" _she asked him, her voice, hopeful, her speech a bit slurred.

"_Of course we are, Kiisu!"_ he answered.

"_Even if I called you a man whore?"_ she asked again.

"_Yeah, you need to stop calling me that!"_ he said, chuckling.

"_Okay."_ she said. She was happy. She was with Luc and everything was right again.

"_Let's go. I'll walk you back to your place."_ he said, as he placed one hand at the small of her back, and guided her home.

* * *

After fifteen minutes, they reached the apartment. They would have gotten there sooner if Luc didn't have to steer the tipsy Cat along the way. They stood there in front of the door of Cat's apartment, Luc waiting for her to unlock it so they could go in. Cat just looked back at him, smiling sheepishly.

"_Cat, where are your keys? Come on, open the door and let's get you inside."_ Luc told her, slightly irritated.

"_My keys are in my coat pocket."_ Cat replied, giggling a bit.

"_Your coat pocket? The same coat you left behind at the pub?"_ he asked. He slapped his palm in his forehead when he saw Cat nodded. He took out his lock pick set from his back pocket and started working skillfully on the door handle.

"_Ooohhh! You're very crafty when I'm drunk!"_ she said, her words slightly slurred.

"_Yes, well, you're very useless when you're drunk!"_ he replied, as he expertly got the door unlocked within seconds. He opened the door and they both went inside her apartment.

"_You're quite handy, Luc Moreau. I think I"ll keep you around."_ she said laughing. She took off the leather jacket Luc let her borrow earlier and let it fall on the floor, but kept the hat on.

"_What, you want me around to pick up after you?"_ Luc asked, picking up his jacket and hanging it on the coat rack. He went straight for the fireplace to get a fire started. He looked at Cat, who was staring back at him. _"You should go and put some dry clothes on, before you catch a cold."_ he told her, sounding more like an order.

"_Don't tell me what to do! You sound just like my father! I''ll do it when I feel like it!"_ she said, quite annoyed by him.

"_Fine. Suit yourself!" _he said, holding up his hands. He continued to get the fire going.

She studied him as the light from the fire reflected on his beautiful face. _"So...is Annika your girlfriend?" _she curiously asked him, the name of the cougar leaving a bad taste in her mouth.

"_Only in the sense that she's a friend who happens to be a girl." _he replied. He saw the doubtful look Cat gave him. _"We're not together. It's just a friends with bennies type of deal."_ he tried to explain.

"_Friends with bennies? What's that mean?"_ she asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"_Friends with benefits." _he answered. He saw that Cat still drew a blank. _"It means we don't kick the other one out of bed in any event that the other one asks for sex. You know, 'friends with benefits'!"_ he elaborated.

"_I wouldn't know. I'm still a virgin! Probably the last 21 year-old virgin living in this city!"_ she confessed.

Luc coughed, startled at her revelation. _"Okay...I really don't know where to go with that!"_ he said, a bit uncomfortable.

"_Yeah, that's me, Sister Catherine! Haven't really done much in my life. Afraid to even try. No idea what fun is even if it hit me right in the face!"_ she lamented. She looked at him who has stunned silent. _"You ever slept with a virgin, Luc?" _she asked him.

"_Yeah, once or twice. I try not to make a habit of it. Virgins are very high-maintenance!" _he answered.

She staggered her way to where Luc was standing. He caught her when she has about to fall, the hat that he let her borrow earlier dropping on the floor. _"My hero!"_ she said, as she gazed upon his eyes.

He felt her hand grab the back of his head and pulled him to a kiss. It was soft at first, as he tasted the rain in her lips. Then the kiss went deeper, and he tasted the whiskey in her tongue. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders, the other one sliding down the small of her back. He moaned as he allowed the kiss to go deeper, his tongue now darting in and out of her mouth. He heard her sigh into his mouth in pleasure.

As their tongues danced inside each others mouths, Cat wished the kiss would never end. She took his hand and led it to her breasts, and a whimper rose in her throat as he gently touched them through the thin fabric of her dress. She moved her other hand and started to fumble with the button of his jeans. Luc was startled, and pulled away from her.

"_Okay, Kiisu! That's enough!"_ he told her, breathlessly. He walked away from her and went towards the kitchen. _"You need some coffee."_ he stated, as he went through the cupboard and proceeded to brew some for her.

"_Am I not pretty enough for you?"_ she asked him as she followed him to the kitchen.

"_Cat, I think you're beautiful!"_ he admitted, almost in a whisper.

"_You don't wanna be my first then?"_ she asked once more.

"_That's not a fair question to ask, Kiisu!"_ he answered.

_She moved closer to him and looked into his eyes. "I want you, Luc! Either you're numb or just too blind to see!"_ she affirmed, as she pulled him close again for another kiss.

The kiss was urgent now, more demanding than earlier. She wrapped her arms around his neck and angled her head for better access, her tongue deeply probing his mouth. She pushed him against the kitchen counter, without letting go of his lips. Their bodies now pressed against each other, generating so much heat. Luc returned her kisses with equal ferocity, his hands roaming all over her body.

Minutes later, the coffeemaker beeped, indicating that the coffee was ready. His eyes flew open and pushed her away once more. Not far enough to let go of her, but enough to break their kiss. He took a deep breath and kissed her on the forehead.

"_This needs to stop now, Kiisu!"_ he said, trying to pull away from her grasp.

"_Why?"_ Cat whined.

"_Because, given the state that you're in, if I continue to kiss you the way I have already been kissing you, you won't have any respect left for yourself tomorrow morning! Not to mention, you'll be walking wrong for a week!"_ he boldly stated.

"_You promise?" _she asked, an impish grin visible on her face, as she tried to pull him close once more.

_"I'm serious, Cat! You need to stop now!" _he told her, as he grabbed her wrists. _"I maybe a bastard, but I'm not a fucking bastard!" _he said, with quite roughness.

He was grateful when he heard the doorbell ring. He let go of her and headed for the door. He opened the door and was glad to see Siobahn. She had come to return Cat's coat that she left back at the pub. He let her inside.

"_Cat, look, it's Siobahn!"_ he informed her as he picked up his hat from the floor. He grabbed his jacket from the rack and faced Siobahn again. _"She's all yours now! You got her drunk, now look after her till she's sober! Happy Birthday! There's fresh coffee in the kitchen!"_ he said as he hurried towards the door.

_"Goodnight, Luc! Sweet dreams!" _he heard Cat shout from the kitchen.

_"Goodnight, Cat!" _he yelled on his way out. He went to his apartment. He headed straight for the bathroom and took his clothes off, and took the coldest shower he's had in ages.

* * *

~END OF CHAPTER FIVE~

* * *

Footnotes:

*"I take credit for him..." meant that Annika was Luc's first.

*I imagine Annika as Monica Belucci. She's ten years older than Luc and about 17 yrs older than Cat. You'll probably see more of her later on.

*Borrowed some elements from both parents, leather jacket from Alex and fedora hat from Neal.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N : **Decided to change the rating from T to M since this chapter got a bit darker later on. Just to be on the safe side.

**

* * *

**

**CHAPTER SIX**

* * *

The next day, Luc went over to check on Cat at her apartment. He needed to make sure she was alright after what happened last night. Siobahn answered the door. She didn't look too pleased to see him.

"_Oh, good! You're here! Must be you're shift then!"_ Siobahn said sarcastically.

"_Sorry to just leave you here with her, Siobahn, but she was much better in your care than mine! Trust me!"_ Luc explained as he went inside.

"_She's still sleeping. She's gonna have one hell of a headache when she wakes up! Can you make sure she's fine? I have a study group to go to in less than an hour and I need to go get ready."_ she told him in a gentler tone.

"_Sure, go ahead! I can take it from here. Thank you for taking care of her last night!"_ he said.

"_You get that she likes you, right? And I mean, she likes you a LOT!"_ she said as she headed for the door. Luc remained silent. Siobahn turned to face him. _"Just be careful, Luc! Unlike you and I, Cat is not worldly! She's sweet and innocent and has a very kind heart! I'd hate to see her get hurt!" _she told him before she turned around and left the apartment.

* * *

As he peeked inside Cat's room, Siobahn's words still lingered inside Luc's head. Being Cat's friend, she had a good reason to get worried, and he understood that. He knew his own past and realized that there is a huge possibility that Cat might get hurt because of it. Luc hoped that day would never come.

From the door, he admired Cat's beauty as he watched her sleep. She looked like a princess from a fairytale, someone he truly doesn't deserve. He was a fool for even thinking that there could actually be a future for the two of them. He shook his head at the thought. With a pained look in his eyes, he turned around and closed the door behind him.

* * *

He went to the kitchen to prepare something for her, something that he knew she would need once she wakes up. He searched her fridge and rifled through her cupboards to find the ingredients that were required. At first, he tried to be as quiet as he possibly could, but he then realized that it would be impossible.

_Oh, well! It was time for the princess to wake up anyway! _he thought, as he pressed the 'puree' button of the blender.

Cat woke up to a start when she heard a loud noise coming from outside. Her head pounded and the floor seemed to tilt as she made her way out of her room. She found Luc in her kitchen, with a mischievous grin on his face.

"_Good morning, Kiisu!"_ he greeted after he turned off the blender.

"_Luc! What the hell are you doing here this early in the morning?"_ she asked, wincing at the sound of her own voice.

"_Early? It's half past ten!"_ he shouted, his smile widening as he saw Cat wince again.

Cat grabbed her head with both hands as she tried to focus. She remembered only parts of what happened the night before, but the rest was just a blank to her. She looked at herself and noticed that she was only wearing a flimsy cotton nightshirt, not exactly the clothes that she wore last night. Her eyes widened in horror as she crossed her arms in a weak attempt to cover herself up.

"_Uhm, Luc...about last night. Did we..."_ she paused, not really knowing how to continue the sentence.

"_What?"_ he asked. _"Oh, that!"_ he said as he smiled again. _"Kiisu, last night was amazing! You made noises I've never heard a woman make before!"_ he toyed with her, as his smile grew wider.

"_Oh my God!"_ she exclaimed as the color drained from her face.

He saw the look of horror in her face and finally took pity on her. _"Relax, Cat! Nothing happened! It was Siobahn who took care of you last night! Don't worry, you're virtue is still safe!" _he told her.

She breathed a sigh or relief. _"Wait...my virtue?" _she asked, almost in a whisper. She realized that while she was drunk, she must have told Luc that she was still a virgin. The pale color she had earlier was now replaced by a blushing red color as she felt her cheeks flushed.

"_You alright there, kiisu?"_ he asked when he heard her groan. _"Here, drink this!"_ he told her as he handed her a tall glass filled with blue-greyish substance.

"_What is this?"_ she asked him.

"_Kutyaharapást Szőrével." _he answered._ "Hair of the dog. It's an old family __recipe, great remedy for a bad hangover. This saved a lot of lives in the past! Now, drink!"_ he ordered her.

"_Ugh! What's in it?"_ she asked with great disgust as she smelled the drink.

"_Trust me, it's best that you don't know!"_ he told her. _"Here, I'll drink it with you."_ he said as he poured himself a glass. _"Here's to your first hangover! Cheers!"_ he said as he raised his glass to a toast and drank the liquid.

She followed suit. She held her breath and drank the contents of the glass. _"Blech! That tasted like feet!"_ she blurted.

"_You'll thank me later!"_ he assured her.

"_I'll thank you now! And remind me to thank Siobahn later. Where did she go anyway?"_ she asked him.

"_She left earlier. She said she had a study group to go to."_ he answered.

"_Oh, no! I was supposed to be in that study group too!"_ she realized. _"Now I have to do my research all by mysel_f!" she whined.

"_This is like a bad after-school special about 'Why One Shouldn't Drink'!"_ he chuckled. _"I'm sure you'll figure something out."_ he said as he patted her on the head. _"Look, I have to go too! You gonna be okay?"_ he asked her.

"_Yes. No. Yes. I'll be fine! Go!"_ she told him. _"And thanks again, Luc!"_ she called out to him as he was headed out the door.

"_You're welcome, Cat!"_ he shouted back.

She stood up and made herself some breakfast. Luc was right. She did feel a little better after she drank his little concoction. She might even feel well enough to go to the library later. For now, she ate her bacon sandwich in peace.

* * *

Cat didn't get a chance to go to the library until later that afternoon. She wasn't exactly up to doing all the research work by herself, but she decided not to whine about it. It was her own fault anyway for getting drunk the night before. She'd have to thank Siobahn again later for covering for her at work. She was stuck in there, going through a pile of research textbooks for hours and she still wasn't even halfway finished.

As she continued to do her research, she felt her stomach grumble. She looked at her watch and was surprised at how late it was. It was already 10:45 pm, fifteen minutes till the library closes. She hurriedly stood up and gathered all the text books to return them on their shelves.

In her hurry, she bumped into Mr. Julien Boucher, the university's philosophy professor. He was one of the favourite teachers among students, especially the females. Cat had always thought of him an arrogant cad and a bit of a jerk.

"_I'm sorry, Professor Boucher!" _she apologized to him.

"_It's alright, Miss Burke! My, my! What are you doing here this late?"_ he asked her, in a very thick French accent.

"_I was doing research for my thesis, and I didn't notice how late it was! What are you doing here, sir?"_ she asked him.

"_I'm covering for Miss Aucoin. She was sick today." _he answered. _"Here, let me help you with that."_ he said as he took some of the textbooks from her. She let Mr. Boucher help her return the books in their proper shelves.

"_Miss Burke, can I interest you in a cup of coffee, or a late dinner perhaps?"_ he asked her after they were done.

"_No, thank you, Professor Boucher! I really should be headed home now! It's very late!"_ she respectfully declined as she turned to leave.

"_Oh, come on, Miss Burke! Please, call me Jules! May I call you Catherine?"_ he asked as he grabbed her hand to pull her back. His other hand began to stroke her face. _"It's Saturday night! It's a shame to waste it! Let's party!"_ he said, his fingers digging into her cheeks.

"_I already said no!"_ she shouted. She kneed him in the groin and ran away from him.

As she was running away, the lights inside the library started to dim, an indication that the library was about to close. She kept running, as she struggled to find her way through the darkness. Suddenly, Boucher grabbed her and she stumbled on the floor. She saw Boucher moved towards her and grabbed her legs. She kicked him in the face and struggled to get up and run away again.

She tripped over a chair and fell to the floor. She saw Boucher catching up to her, his face with an evil scowl. She screamed for help as he was about to touch her. All of a sudden, a familiar voice spoke through the darkness.

"_La mademoiselle a dit non, monsieur! (The lady said no, Mister!__)"_ the voice said menacingly. Cat knew that voice. It was Luc. She breathed a sigh of relief for she knew that she was safe.

"_Nous étions juste en jouant! (We were just playing!)"_ Boucher said with a nervous chuckle.

Before Boucher knew what was happening, a strong pair of hands grabbed him forcefully and dragged him into the darkness. Cat didn't know what to do. She heard Boucher scream and she scrambled to look for her purse to find her flashlight.

* * *

Luc continued to drag Boucher's body on the floor. Boucher continued to scream as he unsuccessfully struggled to get away from him. Finally, Luc pulled the professor up and punched him hard in the face. The professor cried out in pain.

"_You broke my nose, you brute!"_ Boucher said, his body sprawled on the floor.

"_That's only one! You still have 205 bones more to go!"_ Luc said in a deadly tone.

Luc punched him again, this time on the jaw. He grabbed both of Boucher's legs and dragged him to the nearest window. Boucher screamed again when Luc threw him out the window. Only Luc was quick to grab him by the ankles to prevent him from falling. The professor was now hanging upside down, yelling for help. Luc ordered him to shut up and he did.

"_Tell me something, Professor! If I let you go, do you think you can fly?"_ Luc asked the frightened man.

"_No! Please, don't let me fall!"_ Boucher answered.

"_We haven't been properly introduced. I'm a good friend of Miss Burke, and I am a God damned lunatic!"_ he said in a menacing tone. _"If I catch you anywhere near her ever again, I will cut you in ways that will render you useless to a __woman!"_ he threatened Boucher as he heard him cry.

Luc dragged him back inside the library and threw him down the floor. He viciously kicked Boucher a few times in the ribs before he pulled him up by his collar and slammed his face against the wall.

"_Do you understand me?"_ Luc whispered into his ear.

"_Yes!"_ Boucher answered, terrified of him.

"_Do you believe me?"_ Luc asked him again.

"_Yes!"_ Boucher answered, crying out loud.

"_You damn well better!"_ Luc told him. He lifted the professor's wallet and took out Boucher's ID. _"Now, I know where you live!"_ he said. _"Let this be a lesson to you, Professor! Never lay a hand on a lady!" _he told Boucher as he let go of him.

Luc saw a light and turned around. He was surprised to see Cat staring back at him. Boucher took this opportunity to run away. Luc started to chase after him, but Cat stopped him.

"_Let him go, Luc!"_ Cat told him, afraid of what Luc might do to Boucher once he catches him.

Luc obeyed. _"He won't be bothering you again." _Luc told her, his voice now calm and reassuring.

She remembered it as the voice of the Luc she knew. Luc, always her hero. _"How did you know where to find me?" _she asked him.

"_I went to the shop earlier. Siobahn told me you were here." _he answered. _"Looks like I got here just in time!_ _Damn, what is it about you that seem to attract all the freaks and weirdos of Paris?" _he asked her.

"_You're not a freaky weirdo!" _Cat answered, her heart slightly calmer now that she was with him. _"If you were, you wouldn't bother saving me from all the bad elements of this town!"_ she told him.

"_Kiisu, I am the bad element!" _he said. _"Are you alright?"_ he asked her.

"_Yes."_ she answered. She moved closer and hugged him. _"And if you really are the bad element, you wouldn't be so concerned about me!"_ she pointed out.

"_What can I say? I have a soft spot for lost kittens!"_ he told her. _"Let's go. We have to report that guy to the police."_ he said as he took her hand.

"_No!"_ she protested. _"I don't want the police involved!"_ she said. She noticed his puzzled look. _"If I report this, there would be a paper trail. My father would find out! I don't want him to know! He'll make me go back to the States!"_ she explained in a panicked voice.

Luc tried to calm her down. _"Cat, we can't just let that guy get away! Not after what he tried to do to you earlier!"_ he tried to reason with her.

"_You assured me that he won't be bothering me ever again! That's good enough for me!"_ she told him. _"Please, Luc! Just take me home!"_ she begged him.

"_Are you sure?" _he asked her.

"_Yes, please! I just need to get out of here!" _she answered.

"_Okay, fine. Let's go."_ Luc took her hand in his and they made their way out of the dark library together.

Luc took Cat back to her apartment and decided to stay with her the rest of the night. Once she had calmed down enough, she finally slept. After making sure she was okay, he went outside her room and slept on the sofa.

* * *

~END_ OF CHAPTER SIX_~

**

* * *

**

FOOTNOTES :

*_Kutyaharapást Szőrével_ is Hungarian for "Hair of the Dog". In my past fics, Neal and Alex's son was born and raised in Budapest, Hungary. [Budapest]

*I would like to believe that there would still be libraries and real books 20 years from now.

*Cat does seem to be a magnet for freaks and weirdos. But as I've said when I introduced her, I want her portrayed as this sweet innocent person released into a world filled with wolves in sheep's clothing. She's getting stronger though, slowly learning how to fight back.

*Yes, of course Luc has a dark side! Does that make him evil? He seems to think so.

*No, Cat is not afraid of Peter. She just doesn't want to go back to the U.S. now that she's met Luc! :)

Thank you for taking time to read this chapter! Hope to write the next one as soon as possible.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

* * *

It was Monday morning, Cat had been dreading to come to class that day after what had happened over the weekend. She cringed as she remembered what Professor Boucher had tried to do to her. She couldn't even bear to think about what would have happened if Luc didn't show up when he did.

As she walked in the hallway, she overheard some of the other students talking about Boucher. At first, Cat thought that they were talking about her encounter at the library with the teacher, but the students didn't seem to pay any attention to her. She ran into Siobahn and she told Cat what the fuzz was all about.

"_Well, it seems that Professor Boucher quit all of a sudden. He moved out of his apartment and high-tailed it out of town! He left in such a hurry, he just e-mailed his resignation letter! He wrote 'family emergency' as an excuse!" _she told Cat as they walked to class. _"Frankly, I think he quit to avoid scandal!"_ she added.

"_Why would you say that?"_ Cat asked, curious as to what Siobahn knew.

"_Haven't you heard? As it turned out, he had been having inappropriate relationships with some of his students! One of them got pregnant and quit school a few weeks ago. He probably left in such a hurry to avoid his responsibilities! What a jerk!" _she said with disgust. _"I never liked him. He walked around these halls as if he was God's gift to women! Blech!"_ she blurted.

Cat was relieved to know that the professor was gone. She continued the rest of her day without worry that the she would run into him somewhere in the school. She only put up a brave front because she didn't want to admit it to Luc how much the experience had traumatized her.

* * *

After her classes were over, she went to the park in search for Luc. She found him laying on the grass under the shade of one of the trees. She approached him and sat down next to him. She told him about the recent developments regarding Boucher.

"_It looks like you were right. I don't have to worry about Boucher bothering me ever again!"_ she said. Cat told him everything, from how Boucher sneaked out of town, to his affairs with his other students. _"Guess you really scared him!" _she added, smiling at him.

"_I told you, he'll never bother you again. If he did, he'd have to deal with me!"_ he assured her. The look in his eyes were proof enough that he was serious.

"_I don't think I can thank you enough for saving me the other night, yet again!"_ she told him. _"How many times is that now?"_ she asked.

"_Don't mention it!"_ he answered. _"Tell you what, just make me some of those awesome white chocolate cupcakes of yours, and we'll call it even!"_ he said, giving her one of his most charming smiles.

"_Deal!"_ she agreed.

They continued to sit on the grass in silence. She studied Luc as he observed the people at the park. She often wondered what brought him there.

"_Luc, why are you here in the park quite often?" _she asked him.

"_I should ask you the same thing!" _he said, evading her question.

_I do it to see you! _she wanted to tell him. _"I like to study how people act in a neutral environment. How they interact with each other, how they conduct themselves in the company of other people and how they act when they're alone."_ she told him, obviously an excuse. It wasn't entirely a lie, but not exactly the whole truth.

"_Ah, so you're a clinical observer of the human carnivore!" _he inferred. _"Don't worry, I won't tell a soul!" _he joked. _"I guess, in a way, I'm a bit like you. Only, I observe the female behaviours."_ he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"_Oh, please tell me more!"_ she urged him, glad that she finally got him to share.

"_See, Kiisu, I come here and observe the ladies and immediately draw up conclusions as to why I shouldn't be with ANY of them." _he explained.

"_Huh? I don't understand."_ she said

" _I can plot the entire relationship's failure just by looking at a woman."_ he declared.

"_I still don't get it!"_ she told him.

"_For example, see that blonde lady over there? Alligator briefcase, expensive suit, talking to her friend as if she's addressing a jury...I'm guessing she's a high-powered lawyer. She has a nose ring which indicates she's edgy enough to be interested in a one night stand with a tall, handsome, blue-eyed stranger she meets in a park. We have wild and dirty sex in the back seat of her Prius. Next thing you know, she's making a scene revealing that she has deep psychological __problems." _he detailed.

"_Yeah, right! Okay, I'll play along. That brunette over there. She'd be perfect for you!"_ she told him. She saw Luc shake his head. _"Just hear me out!"_

"_Alright, make your case!"_ Luc said.

"_She's an attractive woman, but not in a high maintenance way. Tiny laugh lines around her eyes, which means she has a sense of humor. Casual purse, not a briefcase, meaning she has a job but not she's not obsessed about it."_ she illustrated.

"_Oh, Kiisu, you look... but you do not see! You missed a lot of things about her. Notice the stain on her jacket's left sleeve. What does that tell you?"_ he asked.

"_That her dry cleaners suck!"_ she answered.

"_Wrong! Look closely! She's not wearing any jewelry at all. Why?"_ he asked again.

"_Either she's cheap or she doesn't know how to accessorize, or both!"_ she answered.

"_Wrong again!" _he shook his head._ "Who does she fear?" _he asked once more.

"_A burglar?"_ she answered.

"_Think smaller!"_ he instructed her.

"_A tiny burglar!"_ she said.

"_No! Put it all together. Stain on her jacket, afraid of someone small pulling off her jewelry..."_ he tried to make her understand.

"_Oh! She has a little kid!"_ she deducted. _"What, you have something against single mothers?"_ she asked him.

"_She won't have any time for my needs! I'm a very selfish guy! You see, Kiisu, you still have much to learn!" _he told her. _"Besides, the whole purpose of this is to convince me that having relationships with any of these women wouldn't work. You know, get inside their heads!_ he explained.

"_Give me a break! That was my first try! Alright! Check her out! That red-head __sitting at the park bench! She's twirling imaginary ring on her finger, means __she's recently divorced. Expensive Gucci power suit, means she got a lot of __money from the divorce settlement from her ex-husband. Frown lines around her eyes means that she's bitter. Therefore, the next man who dates her is going to pay dearly. Too much drama! Pass!"_ she declared, quite proudly.

"_Wow, impressive! I take it back, you no longer need me. You can pick up women all on your own!" _he said, laughing.

They both laughed as they continued Luc's little game. Luc was actually glad to see her laugh. He had been worried about her since that night at the library. Just then, Cat looked at the time and realized that she needed to go.

"_As fun as this had been, I have to go to work!"_ she said. She stood up and brushed the leaves off of her.

"_I'm headed over there too! How about I drop you off?"_ he asked her, as he stood up as well.

"_Drop me off? You have a car now?"_ she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"_No...better!"_ he answered as they walked towards the parking area. _"I have a motorcycle!"_ he said as he directed her to where his bike was parked.

"_You expect me to ride on that thing?"_ she asked incredulously.

"_No, I expect you to be my passenger! My first passenger! You should be honored!"_ he said. He noticed the hesitation on her face. _"What? Don't tell me you haven't ridden on the backseat of a motorcycle before? Jesus, Cat! What the hell did you do for fun before you met me?" _he jokingly asked her. He hopped on his bike and waited for her to join him.

"_Oh, alright!"_ she finally agreed.

"_Atta girl! You better hope the cops don't cite us! You're the only one with a __helmet!"_ he told her, as he handed her his helmet to put on. _"You ready? Hang tight!"_ he instructed.

Luc turned the engine on and headed out of the park. Cat wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. She rested her chin on his left shoulder. She felt exhilarated as she felt the wind on her face. Her heart beat wildly inside her chest. But she didn't feel any fear, because Luc was with her and she knew that he will keep her safe.

* * *

The next afternoon, Luc ran into Cat in the hallway of their building. He saw her carrying a tall pile of books while struggling to open her apartment door. Some of the books fell on the floor.

"_Here, let me help you with that."_ he said as he took the books from her so she could open the door.

"_Thank you."_ she said as she opened the door and let him in. Luc went inside and set the books down on the coffee table.

"_In the mood for a little light reading, Cat?"_ he joked as he skimmed through some of the text books. _"What are these for?"_ he asked.

"_It's research for the thesis that I'm writing."_ she answered. _"After what happened at the library a few nights ago, I've decided to just do my research here at home!"_ she explained. _"Let me get you those cupcakes I promised you."_ she said as she went to the kitchen.

"_What are you studying anyway?"_ he asked as he sat down on the living room floor while flipping through the pages of the books she brought home with her.

Cat came back from the kitchen with the cupcakes and beverages. She sat down next to him on the floor of her living room. "_I'm trying to get my Masters in Intercultural Diversity Studies and Organizational Communication." _she answered.

"_Wow...that's a mouthful! What is that, exactly?" _he asked again while looking at the other books she had.

"_Well...it's a form of global communication. Basically, it teaches ways of effective communication, negotiations, and leadership across cultures."_ she replied.

"_Ah...international politics!"_ he surmised.

"_It's not just that! It's about managing cultural differences and teaches ways to promote mutual tolerance."_ she elaborated.

"_Sounds dull."_ he said.

"_Dull? It teaches us as human beings how to better understand one another, no matter what race, creed or color!"_ she said, getting a bit argumentative.

"_So, it's your life's mission to make the planet a boring place for people like me, then!"_ he told her, half jokingly. _"Do you have any idea how drab the world __would be if each and every one of us understood each other?"_ he asked rhetorically.

"_How could it be boring? The world would be a far better place if everyone understood one another! There would be less conflicts. There would be no wars!"_ she argued.

"_And that's what I meant...BORING!" _he countered.

"_Peace is boring to you?" _she asked incredulously.

"_Quite frankly, YES!"_ he answered. _"If the world is meant to be solemn and peaceful, it wouldn't have turned out to be the way it is now!"_ he debated.

"_The world is meant to be solemn and peaceful! It's daft people like you who keeps messing it up!"_ she yelled at him.

"_You know, you look really beautiful when you're angry." _he said with a charming smile.

"_Oh, don't insult my intelligence by complimenting my looks during an argument, Luc Moreau!"_ she snapped at him.

"_Actually, I was merely stating a fact, Catherine Burke."_ he said. There was silence between them for a moment. Then Luc spoke again. _"Do you know the story of the Tower of Babel?"_ he asked her.

"_I can't say that I'm familiar with it, no." _she answered.

"_Well, according to legend, if you believe in that sort of thing, humanity was a united front for generations following the Great Flood."_ he began, looking over to see if Cat was interested. She seemed to be, so he continued._ "Mankind got along with one another. The whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. Humans dwelt in one land, united and in harmony. It was then that they resolved to build a city with a tower. A tower with its top that would reach unto heaven, for mankind wanted to make a name for themselves. Babel, it was called. __The Gate of God."_ he looked at Cat, who was too enthralled with the story.

Luc continued. _"Then, God came down to see what the sons of men...his own children...had built, and He was not amused. He saw that mankind were one people, with one language. He realized that this was only the beginning of what they will do, and that as long as mankind were united, __nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. So God, displeased by all this, confounded everyone's tongue, that they may not understand one another's speech. Then, He scattered mankind all over the face of the earth, that they may not finish the tower."_ Luc said.

He looked at Cat, who was staring at him. _"You see, Cat. Even God Himself, does not want mankind to be a united front. If that were to happen, if humans learned to get along with one another, what is left for them to conquer but heaven. For it is not in mankind's nature to be happy and content with what they already have. We always end up wanting more!"_ he concluded, as he put a piece of cupcake in his mouth.

Cat stared at him in awe, as he sat there next to her with a pleased look plastered on his face. She now understood why intelligent, reasonable people get charmed into joining cults. If Luc ever formed a cult of his own, she would be the first one to join.

"_Well...you and your blinkered vision of the world are just gonna have to reconcile with the fact that there are people like me who __are hopeful pragmatists and that we won't stop until this world is a better place to live in!"_ she told him.

"_Oh, don't even get me started with the whole 'Utopia' thing! You-"_ he didn't have a chance to finish because Cat shoved another cupcake into his mouth.

"_Just shut up and enjoyed the cupcakes! I don't wanna argue anymore!"_ she said.

Cat looked at him again as he munched on the cupcakes. She was intrigued now more than ever about Luc. He was obviously educated. He was more than smart, he was intelligent. She wanted to know more about him, but he kept pulling away every time they get close.

"_Okay, Luc, I've told you something about me. Now tell me something about you."_ she said.

"_I didn't know that this was gonna be a quid pro quo kind of thing."_ he answered in a worried tone.

"_Come on! You can tell me anything! I swear I won't judge."_ she told him. _"Did you aspire to be someone when you were a kid? Who did you want to be when you grew up? I see you now, you are so incredibly smart and talented! You must have a goal somehow!"_ she pressed.

"_Growing up, I've aspired to be so many different things. I had so many goals in life. Nothing just ever seemed to pan out. And all of my dreams remained to be just that...dreams."_ he replied in a somber tone.

"_Don't stop now. Tell me more."_ she urged him.

He looked at her and smiled a wicked smile. _"I could have been a baker, but I couldn't raise the dough! I was going to be a cook, but I thought it was distasteful. I wanted to be a fisherman but I never caught on. I tried to be a race car driver, but I didn't have the drive. I tried making watches, but I couldn't find the time. I was going to be a juggler, but I couldn't find the balls."_ he mouthed off. He looked at Cat and was pleased to see her laughing so hard.

He continued. _"I wanted to become a doctor, but I didn't have the patience. I was going to be a cardiologist, but I didn't have the heart. I tried to be a surgeon but I couldn't cut it. I wanted to be a gynecologist, but I couldn't find any openings." _he chuckled. _"Okay, that last one was just bad!"_ he said. He was delighted to see Cat laugh. _"You know what? Forget what I said earlier. You are even more beautiful when you laugh!"_ he told her, admiration clear in his voice.

"_Oh. So, you'd much rather flirt with me than tell me something true about yourself. I get it."_ she said, the smile disappearing from her face.

"_Wow! You don't take compliments very well, do you?"_ he joked.

"_I just want to get to know you better, Luc. Only, it seems that every time I try to, you change the subject or turn it into a joke! Why all the secrets, Luc? I want to know the real you!" _she demanded.

"_You know what you need to know." _he said cryptically.

He looked into her eyes and was immediately drawn to her. They sat there and held each others gaze. He leaned closer and held her face in his hands. Their lips were only inches apart from each other, both bracing for a kiss. Then, his mobile phone got an instant message, and that snapped the both of them back into reality. He immediately pulled away from her.

He read the text and turned to Cat. _"Cat, I have to-"_ he started to say.

"_You have to go. I know."_ she interrupted him.

"_Yeah."_ he replied. He stood up and headed for the door. Before he left, he turned to her. _"Thanks for the cupcakes, Cat. And I really enjoyed our conversation."_ he told her. With that, he left her apartment.

* * *

Luc returned to his own apartment. He took out his phone and read the message again. Then, he dialed a number he had come to memorize.

"_Hello."_ A familiar male voice answered.

"_Yeah, it's me. I got your message."_ Luc said.

_"Good. Everything's all set. All the details are organized according to your plan. Annika already arranged for the transportation. All you need to do is show up."_ the voice summarized.

Luc hesitated for a moment. He found that odd, since this was the first time in a long while that he hesitated on anything. He had second thoughts about going ahead with the plan, but he had no choice. He needed the money. He spent the last of his "allowance" on his new motorcycle. And it would take too long for him to liquidate some "assets". A quick scam would be the perfect solution to his problem at the moment.

"_You still there?"_ the voice asked.

"_Yeah. I'm still here."_ he answered. _"I'll be there at the meeting place. Tell Annika we're proceeding as planned."_ he ordered.

"_I will. Oh, and don't forget your tux." _the voice reminded him before he hung up.

_Time to get back on the clock!_ Luc thought to himself. He went to his room and started to get ready.

* * *

~**END OF CHAPTER SEVEN**~

* * *

**Footnotes** :

*This chapter went a little longer than I thought.

*The whole bit in the park about plotting an entire relationship just by looking at a woman was inspired by a scene from _"The Lady Vanishes_" by Ian Gurvitz & Michael Sardo.

*The story of the Tower of Babel can be found on the Genesis book from the Old Testament.

*Hopefully, next chapter, Luc and Cat would be *coughs* closer.

*You'll find out more about "The Voice" in the later chapters.

*Thanks for taking time to read this chapter. If you like, please feel free to leave a comment. I hope to update more soon.


	8. Chapter 8

**WARNING** : Adult sexual situations in this chapter...kiddies, please kindly look away!

* * *

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

* * *

Cat sat in the living room of her apartment. She was listening to some jazz music, with the volume turned up to maximum. She did it to drown the sound of the thunderstorm outside. The sound of thunder always made her jump. She never liked thunderstorms, even when she was younger.

She was in the sofa with Luc's cat. It was knocking on his door earlier, begging to get in. But Luc was away, so she took it inside her apartment. She stroked the cat as she listened to Glen Miller Orchestra's "In the Mood" in full blast. She sipped her tea, hoping it will make her relax.

"_I wonder what your daddy is doing right now?"_ she asked the cat. It just purred and went back to sleep.

"_Where are you, Luc?"_ she asked to her herself.

* * *

Luc stepped out of the taxi that brought him back to his apartment building. He had just came back from Monaco, where he played poker with the richest whales of Europe at the Monte Carlo Bay Casino. It was a simple job, really. Annika provided the transportation for them, as well as served as a distraction for the whales. The rest was up to him and his partner-in-crime.

They cleaned out the other players before the night was even halfway done. As per usual, they split the money three-ways, and went about their separate ways once the job was over. Annika invited him to come back to her place with her to spend the night, but he politely declined. That was the first time he ever said no to her when it came to sex.

And now, there he was, standing outside his apartment building, drenched in the rain. He had nothing to complain about though. He got what he wanted, what he needed. Although, he did want to celebrate. For him, the night had ended far too early. He still wanted to drink and dance the night away. As if he didn't have a care in the world.

He had no regrets though. At the end of the day, he was happy. He went inside the building and went up to his floor. He sang loudly as he tried to open his door.

"_...I could have danced all night!  
I could have danced all night!  
And still have begged for more.  
I could have spread my wings  
And done a thousand things _

_I've never done before..."_

He stopped singing when he heard Cat opened her door.

"_Luc! Are you drunk? Not too loud, the neighbours might complain!"_ she warned him.

"_Well, hello there, Kiisu!" _he greeted her. _"In case you've forgotten, it's Friday __night. I'm fairly certain that were the only two people in this building right now!"_ he said with a grin. _"And no! I am not drunk. Just very, very happy."_ he said.

"_Oh yeah? What are you so happy about?"_ she asked him, jumping at the sound of thunder.

"_I had a really fantastic day! There should be more days like this! The night ended too quickly, Kiisu!"_ he answered. He noticed her cringe at the sound of thunder. _"Are you alright?"_ he asked her.

"_I'm fine."_ she answered. _"It's just that I'm not too fond of thunder and lightning, that's all!"_ she revealed.

"_Yeah, Paris gets a lot of those this time of the year. They should really include that in the brochure."_ he said. _"The good news is that the Eiffel Tower has one of the world's tallest lightning rods. Lightning will hit that before it hits you!" _he joked.

He saw her jump again. _"Hey, hey, it's alright!"_ he assured her. He heard the music coming from her apartment. _"You having a party in there?" _he asked.

"_What? No!"_ she replied. _"Just me and the cat, enjoying some jazz music, while having tea. Would you like some?"_ she asked. _"Tea, I mean!"_ she stammered.

"_Don't mind if I do!"_ he said, as he entered her apartment.

She went to the kitchen to make him some tea. He hung his tuxedo jacket on the coat rack and proceeded to throw more firewood into the fire. Then, he looked at the music in her playlist. He was impressed at the selection.

"_Glen Miller, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Lena Horne, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong...you have good taste, Cat!"_ he praised her.

"_My mother loves jazz music. I take after her, I suppose. There's something about good jazz that is so relaxing."_ she replied, as she gave him his cup of tea. _"Mom loved jazz so much, she named our dog Satchmo, after Louis Armstrong!"_ she chuckled. _"What about you? Why do you like jazz?"_ she asked him.

"_Same. My parents...well my mother and my stepfather, loved this type of music. I grew up listening to it. I remember watching the two of them dance in the living room while listening to jazz when I was little. They would just stare into each others eyes and sway to the music. You could see the love that lived in their eyes. It was as if it sustained the both of them." _he said, reminiscing the past.

"_That's the first time you ever talked about your stepfather."_ she pointed out. _"What was he like?"_ she asked him.

"_His name was Jack." _Luc told her. _"He was the best man I know! He treated me as if I was his own flesh and blood. And he loved my mother with all his heart."_ He paused to take a breath. _"He showed me what it was like to have a __father. He molded me to be a person that he and my mother would be proud of. He taught me that I can do anything as long as I set my mind to it. Most of all, he loved me unconditionally. He forgave me, no matter what mistakes I made."_ he said, emotionally.

Cat put her hand on his back to comfort him. _"Where is he now?"_ she asked.

"_He got into a car accident and died when I was thirteen. From then on, it was just me and my mother."_ he answered.

"_What about your biological father?"_ she asked again.

"_Never met the guy."_ he said flatly. _"Nor do I want to meet him. What use do I have for him now? I'm a grown man. I can take care of myself. I don't need him in my life. Not anymore."_ he told her.

"_But, what if he's looking for you?"_ she asked him.

"_Frankly, I couldn't care less!"_ he growled.

He paused to get his emotions in check. He sipped his tea and listened to the music. A familiar tune came on that put a smile back in his face. It was Glen Miller Orchestra's "Moonlight Serenade". It was his parents' favourite music to dance to.

"_This was their favourite."_ he told Cat. He held out his hand to her. _"May I have this dance, Kiisu?" _he asked.

She obliged and took his hand. They held each other close, her arms around his neck, her head rested on his shoulder. His arms were wrapped around her waist, as they swayed along with the music. Cat loved every moment of it. Being in Luc's arms had calmed her a bit. It made her forget about the storm outside, her fears along with it.

Cat lifted her head off his shoulder and looked at him with hazy eyes. Luc leaned closer and kissed her softly on the lips. She brought her hand to his face and caressed his cheek, brushing it softly with her dainty fingers. He leaned in slowly and kissed her again, still soft and tender, and she kissed him back. The kiss soon dissolved into passion.

She closed her eyes and parted her lips as he ran his fingers up and down her arms, slowly and lightly. He kissed her neck, her cheek, her eyelids, and she felt the moisture of his mouth linger wherever his lips had touched. She moaned as her hands guided his, allowing him to roam freely all over her body.

The world seemed dreamlike as she slightly pulled back from him. Without uttering a word, she started to undo the buttons on his shirt. He watched her as she did it and listened to her soft breaths as she made her way downward. With each button he could feel her fingers brushing against his skin, and she smiled softly at him when she finally finished.

He felt her slide her hands on his chest, letting her gentle hands explore his body. He was hot and she ran her hand over his body, her fingers trembling nervously. Leaning in, she kissed his neck gently as she pulled the shirt over his shoulders, locking his arms behind his back. She lifted her head up and allowed him to kiss her lips, as he rolled his shoulders, freeing himself from the sleeves.

"_Are you sure about this, Cat?" _Luc asked her in between kisses.

"_Yes, Luc. I'm very sure!"_ she answered, as she gently steered Luc towards the bedroom.

Once they were inside her room, he slowly reached for her. He lifted her blouse and ran his finger slowly across her belly before raising her arms and slipping it off. She felt short of breath as he lowered his head and kissed between her breasts and slowly ran his tongue up to her neck. His hands gently caressed her back, her arms, her shoulders, and she felt their heated bodies press together, skin to skin.

Luc kissed her neck and gently nibbled on it, as she moved her hips and allowed him to pull off her skirt. Cat reached for the snap on his trousers, undid it, and watched as he slipped them off as well. It was almost slow motion as their naked bodies finally came together, Cat's body trembling with the anticipation of what's coming next.

Luc ran his tongue along her neck while his hands moved over the smooth skin of her breasts, down her belly, past her navel, and up again. He was struck by her beauty. Her skin was soft and beautiful, almost glowing in the dimmed light. He felt her hands on his shoulders, pulling him gently into the bed.

Her back slightly arched as he positioned himself on top of her in one fluid motion. He was above her on all fours, his knees astride her hips. She lifted her head and kissed his chin and neck, breathing hard, licking his shoulders, and tasting the mixture of rain and sweat that lingered on his body. She ran her hands through his hair as he held himself above her, his arm muscles straining hard from the exertion.

She felt her body respond with anticipation, as she felt him slowly kiss every part of her body. He did this until she couldn't take it anymore. Luc found her mouth once again and kissed her hard. His tongue probed deeper and began assaulting the inside of her mouth, causing mind-blowing sensations within her.

Her body then protested at first when he entered her, deep and slow. When they finally joined as one, she whimpered and pressed her fingers hard into his back. She cried out into his mouth from the pain of the intrusion. But he didn't let go of her mouth and continued to kiss her fervently until the pain had subsided. She felt him move inside her, the strength and gentleness of both his body and his soul.

A few more slow, torturous movements of his hips, and she moaned into his mouth again, only this time, because of pleasure. He had to reign himself in when he heard this, afraid to go into a frantic fit of furious thrusting. He didn't want Cat's first time to be a traumatic experience for her.

He moved inside her with deep, steady strokes, while his mouth and hands continued to pleasure her as well. His hand rested at the back of her neck, slightly raising her head, as he parted her mouth his tongue. His other hand seductively rubbing up and down her hips to her thighs. He devoured her mouth till they both started to run out of breath. Then his lips slid down slowly, nipping her chin, then leaving a trail of open mouthed kisses on her neck. He began nibbling on her earlobe, eliciting moans from her.

He continued to work her body with gentle expertise. Each of his steady thrusts were answered by her whispered gasps and soft whimpers. She moved rhythmically against him, allowing him to take her wherever he wanted, to the place she was meant to be. Until finally, she cried out in ecstasy as he brought her to her climax.

He let loose a raw cry of his own after his completion. He raised his head to look at Cat, worried if she's okay. Her body was arched and trembling. Her mouth open, gasping for air. Her eyes slammed shut, tears falling down from the corner. He moved to kiss her softly on her lips, as he rolled her on top of him, not wanting to crush her with his weight.

Cat rested her head on his chest. Luc lifted her head, his hands cupping her face. Her eyes were glassy, her body still shaking from the intensity of everything that had just happened. His thumbs brushed against cheeks, gently wiping away her tears. He brought her face closer to his and began kissing her. He kissed her on her forehead, on both her eyelids, on her cheeks, on her nose, on her chin, and he kept doing so until her tremors subsided.

Finally, she looked at him in the eyes and tried to find her voice. _"That's what I've been missing all this time!"_ she managed to whisper. _"Is it always that good?"_ she asked so innocently.

He chuckled. _"Well, I'm not the one to brag, but-"_ Cat didn't let him finish the sentence. She took Luc's mouth into hers and began to devour him.

She felt her arousal starting to build again. Her body was exhausted but unwilling to stop the pleasure between them. She had waited for this moment for so long, and she was rewarded with a sensation she never knew existed. She wanted more of the wonderful experience, to which Luc obliged. She struggled to catch her breath each time while she trembled beneath him. They spent the night in each others arms, as they made love. They went on and on, as he made her body quiver, before finally subsiding. Then, they held each other till their heartbeats eventually lulled them to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Cat winced a little as she stood up to get out of bed and tried to walk. The slight pain reminding her of her's and Luc's passionate night together. She looked for him and was disappointed when he was not in the room. She saw his shirt lying on the chair. She smiled and put it on and went outside her room.

She found Luc in the kitchen. She was frustrated that he had his trousers on. His bare back showed the scratch marks she gave him the night before. She lovingly observed him as he quietly made breakfast. He moved ever so silently, hardly making any sound while he cooked. And any mess he made, he quickly cleaned up.

_An angel in the kitchen and a devil in the bedroom! How did I ever get so lucky?_ she thought, as she continued to behold him.

"_Come a little bit closer, Kiisu. I can't read your mind from here."_ Luc said without turning around.

Cat blushed and did as she was told. She joined him near the stove and gently kissed his back. Luc turned around to face her and gave her a smile. She kissed him passionately in the mouth, just in case there was any doubts in his head. She wanted to let him know that she doesn't want to go back to being just friends after what happened between them last night.

"_You ruined my surprise!" _he said after they pulled away from each other. _"I was going to serve you breakfast in bed."_ he told her.

"_What do you have there?"_ she asked.

"_Well, I wasn't sure what you'd like, so I made a little bit of everything. Waffles, omelette, hash browns, sausages, and french toast."_ he told her.

"_Awesome! I'll have all of 'em!"_ she said. _"After last night, I need sustenance."_ she gave him a wink and smiled. She set the table and made some coffee while he finished cooking.

"_You want chocolate sauce, whipped cream or pancake syrup on your waffles?"_ he asked her.

"_All of the above."_ she answered. She saw Luc arched an eyebrow. _"What? I like it sweet." _she said.

Cat couldn't remember the last time she enjoyed breakfast this much. She loved all the attention Luc gave her. Everything he did to make sure she was happy. For the first time in a long time, everything was perfect.

After they were done, she helped him clear the table. He even did the dishes. She continued to observe everything he did with a loving gaze. She couldn't wipe the smile from her face. She couldn't hide how much she wanted him. She tried to compose herself when she notice Luc turned around to face her.

"_Listen, I was wondering...if you're not doing anything today, maybe we could go out."_ he said as he wiped his hand with the dish towel. _"We could go for a motorcycle ride around the city, or hang out at the park. Whatever you want."_ he told her.

"_Maybe later."_ she smiled at him. _"Right now, I'm a bit hungry!"_ she told him.

"_Hungry? But we just ate!"_ he said, quite confused.

"_Not THAT kind of hunger!" _she whispered, as she pulled him close for a passionate kiss.

She continued to kiss him, her tongue demanding entry into his mouth, to which he complied. Soon, they were kissing each other fervently, their tongues dancing inside each others mouth. Luc pulled back slightly and gave her his most charming smile.

"_I think I may have created a monster...not that I'm complaining!" _he told her. He then proceeded to take off the shirt she was wearing, revealing her naked body. _"Nope, definitely not complaining!"_ he said.

Cat pushed him until his back was against the kitchen counter. She then proceeded to take of his trousers. She pressed her naked body against his and kissed him again, gently pushing him down. He found himself sitting at the counter, her legs straddling him. His hands roamed all over her body as they devoured each other. Things heated up and they soon found more fun and creatives uses for chocolate sauce, whipped cream and pancake syrup.

* * *

~**END OF CHAPTER EIGHT**~

* * *

**Footnotes** :

*I'll have more about Luc's partner in crime (aka The Voice) later.

*Yes, Luc can sing! He is, after all, his father's son!

*I'd like to think that Alex really loved Jack when she married him.

*I wanted to give "Luc" a happy childhood, even if it wasn't with Neal.

*Yes! They finally did it! A Burke and a Caffrey, getting it on! =D Question is, will it last?

*Again, many thanks for reading this chapter! Feel free to leave a comment if you liked it.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N** : Warning...some adult sexual content in this chapter. Kiddies, please kindly avert your eyes.

* * *

**CHAPTER NINE**

* * *

Luc had no objections when Cat led him from the bar, back to her apartment. And when she steered him into her bedroom, he didn't resist. She kissed him as he closed the door behind him. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling their bodies together. A soft moan escaped her, as his hands wandered down her back, his tongue making its way into her mouth. Luc was a drug, pure and simple. His beauty, his scent, the very feel of him, was intoxicating and addictive. Whoever tasted him once, never could get enough. Cat wasn't immune to this fact.

The kiss deepened as he dipped her head slightly to have a better access to her mouth. She returned every movement of his tongue, holding him tighter, molding her body to his. Luc groaned into her mouth as she buried her hands into his hair. He let his tongue slide down her neck and his captivating kisses turned into almost painful sucks and nibbles, as they stumbled together through the dark bedroom.

Cat let out a little whimper when his hand cupped her breast and squeezed, her clothes being an obstacle. Her hands wandered to his shoulders, pushing his leather jacket off, exploring his lean arm muscles as she did so. His shirt was soon discarded. During their first night together, she enjoyed the feel of his muscular body. A body well-built and powerful, but not beastly. His body was perfect, like that of a Greek god.

He laid her gently on the bed, settling beside her, pulling her in his arms. _"It's been way too long, Kiisu..."_ he whispered into her ear. His voice was low, raspy, and filled with anticipation. It was unbelievably sexy.

_"We did this just last night, Luc!"_ she couldn't help but laugh a little, recalling the events from night before.

"_Like I said...way too long!"_ he answered.

He then growled and attacked her neck with his tongue, lips, and teeth. He smirked in triumph at the low moan that escaped her. He found his way under her tunic top, his hand seductively caressed her stomach. She closed her eyes and moaned, as his hand moved up and massaged her breasts through the lacy material of her bra.

Cat savored the sensation. He knew her body so well. In fact, he seemed to know her body better than she herself, as he paid strict attention to all her sensitive spots. She gasped at his every touch, as one hand continued to fondle her breasts, while the other one explored the length of her body. Luc's lips took hers in a deep kiss, as he pulled her top off, exposing the red lace bra she had chosen to wear. His hand reached behind her and unclasped her bra, pulling her closer to his chest in a tight embrace.

He needed her so badly, his arousal was almost painful, but he knew that when it came to Cat, there was no hurrying. Taking his sweet little time with her was one of the things Luc loved to do. It was pure pleasure to watch her writhe in ecstasy and know that he was the reason she acted that way.

He remembered that stormy night, their first night together, all too well. He'd taken her countless times that night, providing her all the pleasure that he could. At first he had been gentle, a bit unsure of how she would react. After the first time, Cat had been more than responsive, more then he'd ever hoped for. In the succeeding nights after that, she had matched him kiss for kiss, caress for caress, thrust for thrust. The sweet, shy and innocent girl slowly disappeared whenever they were in bed, and was replaced by an incredible lover, and he would want nothing more than to claim her body again that night.

His intense blue eyes locked into her green ones, and he immediately knew that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her. He let his tongue roam from her mouth, down to her neck, then lowered down to suckle her breasts. His hand undid the button on her jeans, then pulled the zipper down. The hand wormed its way into her jeans, coming in contact with the elastic straps of her panties. She lifted her hips, allowing him to pull her jeans down to her knees, where she kicked them fully off.

Luc smiled a bit sheepishly and proceeded to pull her panties down, tracing his fingers over her legs as he did so. Cat let out a surprised gasp when he slid his hand in between her thighs, and then cried out when his strong fingers began to stimulate her warm core. He watched her writhe in ecstasy beneath him, as he did his best to make everything as enjoyable as possible for her.

"_God, you're so beautiful, Kiisu!" _he gasped. _"You're exquisite!"_ he said in between kisses, as she drove him insane with need.

He didn't notice the burning red of her cheeks, but relished in her loud moan as his fingers continued to pleasure her, while his mouth claimed hers. She felt her arousal heightening. Luc heard her her cries, and felt her clench around his fingers. She was close, so very close, they both knew it. Cat saw black stars dance in her vision as he prolonged her orgasm, longer and longer. She gave a him a frustrated whimper when he suddenly stopped. He lifted his head, and slipped his fingers out of her, making her moan at the friction.

"_All good things come to those who wait, Kiisu!"_he said, a sheepish grin plastered on his face, as he stood up from the bed.

She groaned in protest and sat up. She watched him as he slowly unfastened his belt, then undid his button, and then the zipper. He then seductively pulled his trousers down his hips and slipped them off over his legs and stepped out of them, leaving them on the floor. She yearned for him as she stared at his naked glory, loving the fact that he hardly ever wore any underwear. He was too enticing, almost painful to look at...almost.

He joined her again back in the bed, his body covered hers. Both gasped as they touched skin to naked skin. He kissed her hard in the mouth, as he rolled her body on top of his. He was now flat on his back, as she was now on top of him. Her thighs were parted widely, as she straddled his hips. Her body tensed and she looked at him questioningly. He smiled at her encouragingly, as he gently caressed her face and stroked her hair.

"_It's alright, Kiisu!"_ he assured her.

He softly grunted, as he arched his hips up. She threw her head back, relishing the feel of him, caught in a whorl of pleasure, as he entered inside her. She swooned at the deepness of it, wondered about how much more of him could possibly fit inside her. His hands played with her breasts, then slowly glided up and down her waist, hips and thighs. His hands settled onto her hips as urged her to move. Luc groaned with pleasure as she began to rock her hips, slowly at first.

Cat looked at him and stared into those incredibly mesmerizing eyes, glistening in the moonlight coming through the window, and she was possessed with the urge to own him. She had glimpsed something there, a rare, soft delicacy beneath a rock-hard shell, and she wanted to keep it for herself. The intense need rippled through her, a current of pure lust seeming to pulse right down to her toes.

"_Ride me, Kiisu!"_ Luc ordered her.

With the slightest hesitation, she slowly and gently began to thrust her hips forward. And back. And forward. She heard him whisper a moan of approval, urging her on. She obeyed, thrusting even deeper, grinding down into him. He grabbed her hips and set her into steady back and forth rhythm, sending tingles through her spine. She whimpered and moaned, as she felt her passage tighten. The pressure inside of her was was too much that she wasn't sure what was happening anymore, only that it felt so good.

"_Come with me, Kiisu!"_ he commanded her.

She looked at him and shook her head. She never wanted this amazing feeling to end. But Luc did not relent. He rhythmically thrust his hips upwards in time to meet hers. She gasped at the new-found depth, which shattered the last vestiges of her reserve, tearing a cry of pleasure from her throat.

"_Ride me until you come, Kiisu!"_ he demanded.

He grabbed her hips once more and made her ride him at a gallop. Her breasts bounced in front of her and hair whipped about as she threw her head back, crying out with each plunge. Luc's face was set in look of furious determination, a mask split between anguish and rapture.

She felt the intense pressure deep inside of her and wanted release so badly. She squeezed herself and Luc groaned appreciatively as he continued to push into her. She clenched and moaned loudly, as she continued to ride him. She hardly noticed when he lied back and watched her intently, his lips slightly parted, panting, as she felt her whole body arched and tightened.

"_Luc!"_ she cried.

Cat rode him until she felt she couldn't take it anymore without passing out. She shoved Luc into her as deep as she could, until she exploded in sheer pleasure, screaming his name loudly, hearing it echo off the walls. After feeling her clench almost painfully around him, Luc let go and released deep inside of her. He screamed her name as his own climax was wrenched from him. Whisked away in a flood of pleasure, for an instant, Luc lost himself as he never had before.

Cat collapsed against his chest, as out of breath as he was, and she caressed his neck gently before pressing a sweet kiss on his chin and nestling in the crook of his neck. Her body was shaking, and Luc wrapped the duvet around them, cocooning them both in warmth. He beheld her beauty and sighed. This girl was going to be the end of him, he realized. He smiled as she committed every inch of her to memory. Within moments, he joined her in the land of dreams, holding her tightly and protectively to his chest.

* * *

The next morning, Cat woke up in bed alone. She sat up and turned to the pillow next to her and smiled at what she saw. Luc left her a little memento. It was an origami flower. A lily, to be exact. She unfolded the paper and read his note.

"_Kiisu,_

_You looked so beautiful while you sleep, I didn't have the heart to wake you up. Sorry, I had to leave early. I'll make it up to you, I promise._

_Luc."_

She took the note and put it in a little music box where she kept all of his notes. She smiled, that same smile she had on her face whenever she wakes up every morning after a sharing a passionate night with Luc. She couldn't help it. He made her very happy.

It had been several weeks since they first slept together. Her first time, she remembered. Luc was so gentle with her at first. As if she was a porcelain doll he didn't want to break. He made love to her numerous times that night. She never that such pleasure existed until he showed her.

After that night, she wasn't sure if Luc would even touch her again. But he came back for more the night after. And the night after that. And the night after that. Soon, it became a habit between them. Their days would begin with them lying naked in bed together, their limbs tangled up in each other. And their nights would end with them making wild and passionate love to each other, until sleep claims them.

She was weary at first, afraid that she might be just another one of Luc's "friends with bennies", just like Annika was. But she couldn't give him up. Her body craved him, his touch, his kiss, his everything. And she was willing to be his anything, just as long as she got to keep him. As much as she hated to admit it, Luc had that much power over her.

As they spent more time together though, things started to change. Luc became more thoughtful than usual. He cooked for her from time to time. He picked her up from school or from work and they'd have a picnic at the park. He took her out dinner and dancing. They went for rides around the city on his motorcycle. Sometimes, she would watch him paint or listen to him play the violin.

Cat giggled, as she finally got out of bed to get ready for school. She did that a lot lately...she giggled. She finally understood what makes people truly happy. She now knew why her parents smiled a lot at each other all the time. At long last, she got a view of what the world was like as a woman in love. That is what she was...a woman in love. In love with Luc Moreau.

* * *

Later that night, Luc returned to his apartment. He went inside and noticed that someone else was there. It wasn't Cat, he knew that much. He took a closer look and recognized a young African American gentleman, about a few years older than him.

"_Caleb!"_ he said. _"What the hell are you doing here?"_ he asked.

"_Relax! I made sure nobody saw me!"_ Caleb assured him.

Caleb walked up to him, laughed and gave him a hug. Luc hugged him back. Caleb Morgan was his oldest friend. Although not related by blood, they were practically family. It was Caleb's grandparents, Hale and Iola Morgan, who raised his mother after her biological parents had died. He and Caleb grew up as best friends, cousins...brothers even. They were partners-in-crime. They watched each others back, stayed by each others sides and would jump in front of a bullet to save each others lives.

"_I tried calling you, man! You weren't answering!"_ Caleb chastised him.

"_I've been busy."_ he answered.

"_Yeah, right! Busy!"_ Caleb said.

"_You find out anything new?" _he asked.

"_That's why I'm here. The information you need will take a little time to get. Either you come up with another plan, or we're just gonna have to wait longer!"_ Caleb replied.

"_We wait longer."_ he answered flatly.

"_Are you sure? We're on a timetable here, man!" _Caleb asked.

"_Everything needs to be done according to planned! It's important that we get those codes!"_ he said.

"_Okay, I'll keep working on my contacts!"_ Caleb said. _"About your plan...where does SHE fit in it?"_ Caleb asked him.

"_I don't know who you're talking about?"_ he denied.

"_Come on, man! It's me! You can't hide anything from me! I'm talking about your girlfriend!" _Caleb told him.

"_She's not my girlfriend! She's just...a distraction!"_ he said.

"_Right, a distraction. As in, whenever she's around, you can't help but get distracted!"_ Caleb accused him.

"_It's not what you think!"_ he denied.

"_Yes, it is! Whether you care to admit it or not, you are in love with this girl!"_ Caleb said. _"Normally, I wouldn't have anything against it! Hell, that would actually prove that you're NOT the world's only living heart donor!" _Caleb chuckled. _"But why did it have to be her? Why Peter Burke's daughter?"_ Caleb asked.

"_I am not in love with Catherine Burke! I don't do the whole LOVE thing!"_ he denied.

"_There is nothing sadder than a con artist conning himself!"_ Caleb told him. _"You are setting yourself up for a whole world full of pain, my friend!"_ Caleb said. _"Who knows...she maybe worth it! Still, I have to give you a little reality check!"_ Caleb said, as he walked towards the door.

"_Oh yeah, what's that?"_ he asked.

"_You maybe truly, madly, deeply in love with Catherine Burke. But Catherine Burke is head over heels in love with Luc Moreau, NOT Nicholas Hunter!"_ Caleb reminded him. He then turned around and left, leaving Nicholas alone in his apartment to ponder on what he had just said.

* * *

~**END OF CHAPTER NINE**~

* * *

**Footnotes** :

*Okay, the sexual content in this chapter is more detailed than the last. Hope I didn't offend anyone.

*I love writing the origami lily into this story as much as I can.

*Caleb Morgan (the Voice/partner in crime) is Hale's grandson. I first introduced him in my fic "New York". He's like a combination of Mozzie (WC) and Gus (Psych). Actually, in my head, he's played by **Dulé** **Hill.**

*You'll find out soon what really brought Nicholas to Paris. HINT : It's not Catherine Burke; meeting her was just a coincidence...or destiny.

*Will the Burke and Caffrey kids' love survive the lies? Does love really conquer all? How will Neal and Peter react when they find out? I'll try to answer these questions in the succeeding chapters! Hopefully soon!

*Thank you so much for reading this chapter! If you like it, feel free to leave a comment.


End file.
